Fighting Chance
by StoneofRosetta
Summary: The New World faces many challenges. Monsters, demons, undead, all from another world of gods and magic. How could Humanity, a weak and feeble species, hope to combat these horrors? With a bit of luck, and some serious back up.
1. Chapter 1

Yggdrasil, the Online DMMORPG that exploded in popularity after the creation of the Dive virtual reality system. It was a massive hit with the world, and especially in Japan where it was created. It became the number one game to play overnight and had a player base in the tens of millions in only a short couple of years. It was a unique blend of rogue, roleplay, and strategy all mixed into one new genre. It was a fantastic game to play if you knew your cards, and an even greater escape from real life. Maybe too good.

Even still, Yggdrasil was not without its flaws. Glitches and bugs were as common as any other game for its time though the developers did a decent job of fixing, patching, and reworking specific classes, races, and items. Rather it was the player base and its relationship with the developers, and even the fundamental aspects of the game. The developers were hated and loved in equal parts by its player base for having the most versatile game out on the market at the time, but also cursed for having the hardest difficulty of any DMMORPG type game for years to come. Other issues like the absurd rarity of specific drops, rare items that had little value in the game, and the difficulty of establishing new players into the system made the game less appealing as time went on.

Many pointed to giant Guilds like Ainz Ooal Gown for hoarding so many rare and powerful items while killing any new players as a major deficit to the game's player base. Others saw how the developers couldn't keep patches and updates balanced for all the classes and races, especially the older variants who could seem almost useless in future updates, as they were just a lesser version of a newer class. But there was also the feeling of too much personal investment into a digital game. The Cash Item stores were a big investment for many of the larger Guilds in Yggdrasil, From Trinity all the way to 2ch Alliance, every guild that ranked in the top 10 had at least some personal investment in Yggdrasil.

This investment and very personal relationship also caused many to take the game a bit too seriously, or to become too attached to it and the player base. It didn't help that espionage, datamining, and other such activities were almost necessary to advance in Yggdrasil. Again, in normal situations this would have been just a function of a game, but with the large investments put in by players it became too personal. Too antagonistic and touchy.

Eventually people stopped joining Yggdrasil, no new players bought the game at a rate to fill in older players vacancy. Then even the more dedicated players stopped playing. Entire Guild halls were empty, monthly and annual events had fewer and fewer participants, and even the developers began to leave the dozen year project they had begun.

Yggdrasil was officially shutting down, in the year 2138, after much of its community had already left for reasons only they could answer.

Still, even in the end, some people couldn't let go.

Not that they had a choice.

He stretched his back against the wooden roof, staring up into the digitally generated sky. He couldn't really feel the wooden texture of the cabin, nor could he smell or taste anything aside from what was near his real body in the real world. Still, the view was nice.

Most players in Yggdrasil looked at the game as a form of escapism to get away from the real world and all its problems. Others saw a challenge in the games hellish learning curve. Even the top Guilds were guilty of using money and power to stay in their position, but they also had their communities to keep in touch. Shame they didn't have that connection with other Guilds.

Graham wasn't sure if he was different in that regard. He did have a lot of power compared to any other player, hell he was technically a cheat with the classes he had, not to mention the World Items in his possession. A challenge would have been a good change in pace to daily life and Graham always enjoyed raiding dungeons or slaying monstrous beasts, saving the townsfolk and rescuing the helpless NPC character. Stuff like that.

_Not that I stayed just for that_, Graham smiled with a twinkle in his eye. _If that was all the game had I would've left years ago. _

Graham thought of all the details he'd discovered since he logged into Yggdrasil. All the chambers and hidden castles, the dark palaces and forgotten chambers, the mountains and forests, graves and tombs, towns and cities. Everything about Yggdrasil was about love for the genre and adventure, of which Graham excelled at. Exploring the world and reading up on its lore was his favorite of past times to learn about the ancient history of Yggdrasil and its inhabitants.

Priceless memories from adventuring out into Midgard's forests, swimming past the World Serpent while in Muspelheim, and fighting alongside Valhalla in Asgard. The Raid Bosses, World Enemies, and all the mobs of monsters and creatures. Everything that made Yggdrasil awesome and crazy.

Still, it wasn't everything to Graham. His family and his schooling were still the most important thing he had, and he wasn't as deeply into his character as some other players. He enjoyed the environment and setting and admittedly the powers and items he had, but real life took precedence over fun and fantasy games.

But even still, he had enough time to feel melancholy over his favorite game ending.

Looking into Midgard's sky, Graham let his thoughts wander to when he'd first joined, to when he'd won his first Championship, killing the World Enemies, and to the War for Trinity. That was a crazy time, not to mention a huge pain for the developers who had to try to balance the entire guild system after that little incident. Fortunately for both the developer team, Graham was in contact with one of their lead developers.

He looked to the timer to his top right on his projection screen.

00:05:45

Less than six minutes till Yggdrasil's servers shut down. A shame. But everything ends at some point. Just as something new arises from it.

_At least I have the seed. Playing solo in Yggdrasil's going to be weird, but it's a good deal._

…

00:00:55

_Not long now. Good thing it's a weekend for me. This would suck if I had to go to school._

00:00:45

_Are Jack and Vicky doing anything Saturday? Got to remember to text them, see if we can head to Will's shop and get drunk off milk and crackers. _

00:00:30

_Oh wait, Tournament of Crowns is on Saturday. Sweet, that means I can get sis on board too! Flame and guts, here we come! _

00:00:10

_Alright, last seconds here we come. Been a good run Graham._

00:00:05

00:00:04

_3_

_2_

_1 _

…

…

_Uh… wait what?_

Graham whipped his head around, staring at his now forested surroundings. No longer was he in the lightly forested region of Midgard, its grasslands and calm lakes with snowcapped mountains and green hills in the background. Now he was surrounded by a dense green forest, dark green permeated his vision as he looked upwards towards the now night sky, no longer pale blue with the waning of day. Everywhere he looked, thick trunks and dark bark occupied his vision.

_Ok, not what I expected,_ Graham scrunched his brows together. Was this a glitch? A delay? Did they seriously release Yggdrasil 2 without telling anyone?

No, they couldn't have. He knew their development team didn't have the resources or time to have mapped out, tested, and finished a game like that _and_ to release it in such an underhanded manner. That wouldn't have marketed well with audiences, so what was this?

Graham tried to access the menu system from his Hud to log out or contact the devs and see what was going on. He raised a finger in the air and made a tapping motion, to which nothing happened. He tried it again, with similar results. He then began to frantically tap at the air with his finger, resulting in little more than him pointing at the air.

_Ok…_

Was this a prank? Did his sister remove his access to the menu or disconnect him from the server? Was he in the new Yggdrasil already? Too many things to consider.

_I can't see anything that says i'm in Yggdrasil. Can't access the menu and I can't seem to get in contact with the real world. Ok… ok ok…. ok ok okokokok. _

Panic attacks never helped anyone, but at that moment Graham needed a touch of madness to help process the impossibility of what he was experiencing. As he steadied himself on the roof, placing his hand on the cold and firm wooden roof of his cabin, crafted from Dark Oak and Red Pine, he tried to steady his breathing. He inhaled the scent of pine, oak, dirt, grass and pollen from the cabin and the surrounding forestry. It was a pleasant sensation to smell the blooming flora, to scent the woods and the nightly dew that sparkled from the trees, to taste the sweet scent of-

_SMELL, FEEL, AND TASTE?! Oh no…_

Yggdrasil didn't have those features, in fact he was pretty sure _nothing_ in the Dive gear had that kind of function. Feeling the wooden roof, smelling the surrounding forest, tasting the acrid scent of the air. Definitely not in Yggdrasil

Maybe not on Earth either.

_Shit. No, I… I'm going to be sick._

He leaped down from the roof onto the mossy forest floor. He wobbled at first trying to get a grip on his slowly crumbling reality. He looked back at the plain wooden door to his cabin and the little lamps attached to the side of the door frame, between the windows on either side of the front of the little house.

"Ok, just get a grip me. Get a grip. Ffffreaking grip."

Graham investigated the glass window to see his reflection. Or rather his characters reflection.

Brownish-golden eyes stared back at him with a sharpness that his real body never had. There was power in those eyes that didn't exist in the real world, power that could slay a hundred men or a thousand monsters. It scared him to look into his own eyes and not see himself, how they reflected the power and ferocity of someone who had performed greater deeds than he ever had. Like they were judging him unworthy.

He glanced down at the rest of him, afraid of being lost in the swirling vortex of gold and brown that was his eyes. He was taller and leaner, limbs more defined from fighting countless enemies, traversing lands only seen in the dreams of children. While he'd increased in height, he felt unnaturally light, like he could leap up into the sky and float down like a piece of paper. Everything was just… off. His body was still human, still shaped like before, but there was an alien quality to how different his proportions were, yet it felt familiar enough that he could sense his limits. But it was the power he felt that disturbed him the most.

_I have to test this out. See if this is really my characters body or if it just looks the same._

Graham looked around the forest floor before coming upon a rock no bigger than his fist. Picking the solidified mineral up in his hand, he felt it first, noting its jaggedness and smoothness, how hard it was and its dark gray color. He crushed it. His fist wrapped around and applied tons of pressure onto such a small surface that it shattered the rock into fragments, of which he shattered into smaller fragments that also shattered, until all that was left was a powder of minerals and dust.

_Holy…! I didn't even put any effort into that, I just flexed and… dust!_ Graham nearly panicked, both amazed and horrified at the ease it took to annihilate that poor rock.

"Super strength, check. Now magic; does magic work?" Graham muttered nervously. He needed something small, something simple and non-damaging that wouldn't annihilate everything in his current area of residence. What to pick…

"A light spell! That's perfect, it's not an attack spell and all it does is illuminate the area." Graham focused as best he could, trying to feel out his magic abilities. "Alright, let's give it a go."

Graham closed his eyes, displacing any outside stimuli other than his own heartbeat. He breathed in. Breathed out. And then he spoke.

"**[Guiding Orb of Light]**"

And light shone. He immediately opened his eyes to behold a shining orb of light just feet away from his face. Floating like a leaf on a lake, bobbing ever so slightly just like the animation in Yggdrasil it shined a brilliant yet gentle blue hue.

"Woah." Graham was breathless. He had just used magic. Real magic, magic that he could see and feel right in front of his face. This was… beautiful. But also, terrifying. He could use every spell in his arsenal, some that could maim, kill, curse, even steal the soul from its enemy. Was all the magic the same? What was different about magic now than in the game? Were summons sentient creatures or just masses of magic? How did magical items and gear work?

Graham cringed when he considered that final thought. He forgot about his World Items. World Items that now might literally embody _actual _worlds if the lore was correct.

_Maybe I should do more experimenting before I cross that bridge. And promptly burn it afterwards. _

After testing out, among other things, several lower tiered spells to judge both his power and the mechanical functions of magic in whatever world this was, Graham found himself wandering the forest. While initially uncertain of leaving his cabin, which was chock full of neat trinkets and other knick knacks, he found that the portable space-shifting ability of his little abode was basically the same as in Yggdrasil. The entire cabin just shrank into a little cube that he could carry in his inventory. His inventory also worked like it had before, and he could sense that every item he had before Yggdrasil was still with him. Even the Seed.

So, without having to worry about leaving his home and a better grasp on his abilities, he set out on a hopeful journey to discover some semblance of civilization.

"Oh my god I'm so booorrreeeddd."

He just wasn't having much success.

It was still dark out and impossible to tell how much time had passed since he had been displaced into this new world, which he was pretty certain was _not _Midgard or any of the Nine Worlds of Yggdrasil. As he walked and traveled across the forest the only encounters he'd had been birds, some deer like creatures, a couple frogs, and trees. Lots and lots of trees.

_Seriously, if something doesn't come out to kill me I'm going to die from the absolute bore fest of a forest. Ugh just something-ANYTHING-happen already! _Graham dragged a hand over his hair and face, exasperated at his lack of progress.

The entire "journey" had been more an encounter with the seemingly endless forestry around him than anything else. He was now well acquainted with the various trees across the forest and every bolder and mound of dirt he passed.

Too bad they all looked the same.

"Maybe I should just use **[Fly]** and get out of here. Not even sure why I bothered walking." Graham grumbled while preparing to cast his spell.

Then he took a whiff of the air and smelled something off. An ashy, warm scent not too far from where he was. Something was burning.

Smoke? A fire? Possible civilization?!

He turned his head in the direction of the scent. Perhaps walking was not as terrible an idea as he had thought.

The city of Agosvale was one of the more eastern territories of the Dragon Kingdom. Located closer to the border between the Dragon Kingdom and the Beastmen Nation, it was common for raids of Beastmen to come through and pillage many of the local provinces. While Agosvale was close to the border, it was perhaps the last city before one entered the Dragon Kingdom proper. Thus, while less prosperous than other cities west ward, it was better off than its sister cities that skirted the edge of the eastern border, many of which had fallen to the advance of the hordes of Beastmen in recent years. The inhumane stories that sprouted from brave and foolish travelers only solidified the desperation of the kingdom and its people, with many attempting to flee west into the heartlands or to the other nearby realms of man. The people of Agosvale had little chance to escape if the Beastmen invaded, as they were trapped between dense forests that forced them to follow a well-defined and well-known path north west of their city.

With a decent garrison of soldiers, and support from some local adventurers, Agosvale had more freedom than other nearby cities as they could afford to chase off any Beastmen raid or attack. Agosvale had become a place of refuge for many after the eastern cities had been overwhelmed by the Beastmen armies. The population had increased rapidly in the past years as a result and many could be found within and without the city in little more than shacks and shanty houses.

While the refugees had placed a strain on local resources and manpower the city still held enough dominance in its region to stave off its issues. Food supplies were decent enough for the new winter, the public was calm enough to continue their daily work but cautious enough not to cause any riots, and the soldiers and adventurers were well paid and well maintained. A very fortunate situation given circumstances.

Yet none of this could stall the advance of a true Beastmen army.

Fire as far as the eye could see had spread across the city's outskirts and to its housing districts. Slaughter followed the mad beasts that now pillaged and looted the city to their dark hearts content, the blood of hundreds now soaking the streets and dirt with its copper scent.

Those humans who remained had either died from the hands of the Beastmen, fled into the forests to risk chance with some of the local wildlife, or were fighting desperately for their lives against the savage creatures. The majority of those still in the city were cramped and herded to the cities center at the church, hoping that the onslaught might be staved off by those soldiers and adventurers that remained. Few who realized the situation for what it was believed they were going to survive but kept quiet as it would only cause further distress.

Tagar Hammar, Captain of the Guard in Agosvale, was fighting for his life against several Beastmen. From the onset of the invasion the local garrison had been nearly overrun with only the adventurers and the defenses of the city holding back the tide of beasts. His superiors had either been separated from the main body of soldiers to other areas of the city, or where dead. Tagar had been tasked with defending the southeastern quadrant of the city along with several dozen of his men.

He panted as he narrowly dodged a blade, lunging back at his enemy and thrusting his blade into their unprotected chest cavity. His sword pierced into the Beastman's rib cage, making a squelching noise before he retracted his blade. The hyena like Beastman screeched before falling over in a bloody pile, while its comrades were only egged on by the brutal bloodletting. Tagar grunted while returning to a defensive stance, sword held parallel to the ground, and prepared for a further onslaught.

He cursed at the misfortune of his people's situation. Why had they been thrown to the wolves like their sister cities? How could this have been allowed to happen, to allow them to either be game or food for these monstrous fiends? What could be done to save those who were left to pick up the remaining pieces of their past lives? What hope was there after this first assault?

Another beast ran at him at such speed, that Tagar only had a moment to direct his sword to its charge. The large boar Beastman slammed into Tagar, knocking him straight to the ground and forcing him to loosen his grip on his sword. As his blade fell just a foot in front of him he could hear the ringing in his ears from the impact, and the sounds of more Beastmen stomping and screeching in praise to his imminent demise. He could feel the exhaustion finally setting in, how his breath was ragged, and his lungs felt like torn cloth, his arms burned from abuse and the constant combat, and he felt that the fall had dislodged something in his right arm.

The Beastman that had charged him stood triumphantly over Tagar, taking the time to look over its prey before it made the kill. It placed its hoofed foot down on Tagars breast plate, denting it with the force of its impact, and bruising at least several ribs, while Tagar hissed in pain and frustration. It smiled in anticipation and joy at the pain it caused him, feeling superiority for crushing a weaker being beneath its own hooves. With its kin roaring and cackling behind it to finish the weakling off, it raised its clubbed weapon above its head to deal the finishing blow.

Tagar saw the beast about to crush his skull. He could only close his eyes and utter a silent prayer to the gods, hoping that by some miracle of chance the people could escape from the city before the beasts could break through the church. If not, he could only wish they were granted a quick death rather than to suffer.

As the Beastman was just seconds away from bashing the Captains brains out onto the dirt, a sudden light shot down from the heavens and engulfed the downed human, shocking both the Beastmen and the Captain, who had frozen in shock and fear at the pillar of multihued light that had engulfed him.

The boar Beastman retreated from the Captain and the cascade of light surrounding him, holding a hand over its face to block out the oppressive light assaulting its eyes. The rest of the Beastmen reacted with similar aversion to the glowing light, some of the more cowardly going so far as to run from the area entirely. The remaining horde of Beastmen gripped their malformed weapons tighter, eyes wider, talons and claws unsheathed, and fangs bared at the unknown assailant that had interrupted their amusement. The largest amongst their members, a vicious looking tiger, growled as it scented the air and smelled an unknown scent.

It growled towards its companions as it faced the new adversary. As they turned to face this newcomer, Tagar had finally snapped out of his shock, looking around him at the light enveloping him and the now occupied Beastmen.

_What magic is this? Who could have- _the Captain was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of earth upheaving and flesh being pierced.

Looking through the surrounding curtain of light, he could see that every Beastman encircling him had been gutted through their torso with what appeared to be stalagmites made from some type of red gem or rock. They rose from the ground in a hellish fashion, with the blood of every Beastman running down their frames, mimicking the teeth of a large monster or beast gripping prey in its jaws.

The few Beastmen still alive died howling and screaming upon those bloody spikes, and in seconds there was nothing but the sound of distant fires and voices echoing from afar.

Tagar said nothing as the pillar of light evaporated from around him, only crawling to his feet to notice that his injuries had miraculously healed and that even his armor and weapon had been repaired. With all the Beastmen dead, and with his body and equipment repaired, perhaps the gods had truly heard him?

Hearing footsteps ahead of where the Beastmen had been focusing their attention, Tagar whipped around to see a young man approaching him. From what he could see, the youth appeared to be in his early twenties and of decent height with a build that suggested he could fight, shoulders slightly broader than his own and arms that seemed to have a good deal of strength to them. His most striking features were his light brown skin, something that was uncommon but not unheard of in the Dragon Kingdom, and his white-gray hair, a very unusual combination that further highlighted his foreign appearance. He was clad in a dark blue coat of fine material, with a dark leather undershirt and black leather boots and gloves that had golden metal decorations on them.

But his most attention-grabbing aspect was his eyes. When Tagar glanced into them, he could see the common brown color that his own eyes share with him, but he could see the gold within them. As he stared at them, he could see the golden colors swirl slowly around in his eyes, twisting and shifting gently in a dance of watery calmness that contrasted the bloody slaughter around him. For just a moment he felt calmness, as if everything would work itself out, and even the darkest of days would have light shown upon them.

"Hey, you feel ok now buddy? You looked like you were in pretty rough shape before."

Tagar snapped out of his revere to see the man before him speaking to him, his own eyes twisted in concern at Tagar. The Captain struggled to have his brain meet his mouth but managed to pull out a somewhat coherent sentence.

"Y-yes. I'm ok."

The man smiled, relaxing now that the only other human near him was safe. Then he frowned before tightening his stance and tensing his body.

"What's going on here? Those animal people, what are they, and is there anyone else in the city?" The man asked expectantly.

Tagar had to take another moment to remember he was still in a warzone, and that the enemy had almost entirely breached their defenses.

Then he remembered the church, the civilians, his men and the other defenders.

Tagar latched onto the man's shoulders, full of panic and desperation for his city and its people.

"The remaining civilians are in the center of the city within the church, any soldiers still alive are either near there or to the west gate," Tagar gripped the man's coat tighter, grasping at what thread of hope remained in him. "Please sir, I beg of you. Too many have died already. Don't let them take this city. _Please._"

The man's eyes widened at Tagars pleading, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Tagar still held strong to the man's coat, tears pricking his eyes and breath ragged and harsh from the overwhelming feeling of despair and hope. He couldn't make a single promise to the man, because of being little more than a Captain with only so much wealth and influence, so relying on a stranger's generosity was his only hope of doing something to help his homeland.

The stranger's eyes narrowed. Tagar flinched, letting go of his shoulders and taking a step back. Had he angered the man? Most likely, he couldn't imagine anyone helping a city already on the cusp of defeat, especially when it was only a single man with no hope of reinforcements.

"I'll do it." The stranger answered, a steel to his tone.

Tagar collapsed to his knees, exhaustion overtaking him while some amount of relief flooded his frame. The stranger kneeled next to Tagar, before reaching into his coat and producing an item of sorts.

"This flute is a magical item, you know what that is?" Tagar nodded. "Alright, then if any of those things come after you or anyone else, blow the flute and two dozen warriors will be summoned to you. You only got one shot at using it, after that it'll disappear, got it?"

Tagar nodded his head again, and the stranger smiled.

"Good. Go to the center of the city and help protect the church, I'll help those guards at the west gate and anyone on the way." Before Tagar could comment on his plan, the stranger had leaped into the air and flown directly towards the western section of the city with the aid of some magical spell.

Tagar stared momentarily as the magic caster disappeared from his view before rising to his feet, he was still in dangerous territory and it wouldn't be long before more Beastmen flooded the area. With the thought of facing more of the monsters in the open, and the strange magic casters orders still ringing in his head, he sprinted towards the center of the city, careful to avoid any large bands of Beastmen, to hopefully find any soldiers or adventurers to round up in a defensive position.

He prayed once more for the magic casters success.

Graham knew when things were going south. When you played Yggdrasil, and you were good at it, you tended to learn when a given situation was going to become unwinnable especially when it was near the end. Graham had been through plenty of situations to warrant a kind of sixth sense to that type of danger, some of which he learned the hard way after dying, and others he learned by others dying. If he had to be honest it was part of the fun of Yggdrasil. Explore, thrive, or die.

When the smell of fire and blood became stronger the closer he got to its source, the faster he ran towards it, despite his instincts telling him not to. When he saw what he could only describe as animal people, part animal and part human, surrounding a downed human in armor, he instinctively cast a 9th tier protection spell **[Pillar of Protecting Light]** and followed up with **[Greater Healing] **just in case the guy was hurt.

After the animal men backed off he began to approach when he saw them turn in his direction. Graham wasn't certain of their abilities, levels, or what they were classified as, but he knew that getting ganged up on would end poorly for him. With practiced ease, his body and mind acting on reflex, he casted **[Vlad's Red Impalement]** to throw them off and distract them, then he would use **[Greater Teleportation]** to get the guy away from the animal men. After that he'd either fight them to gauge their abilities and weigh his chances at victory, or he'd escape with the guy to somewhere safer if it became too much.

Imagine his surprise when a weak 6th tier AOE spell killed every animal man there.

Flying to the west of the city, easily identified by the sound of battle and screaming in the general direction of the city, Graham scowled at himself.

_I am such an idiot, who the hell just pops in and casts a spell in that kind of situation! _Slowing down his flight pattern, Graham began to make landfall. _Ugh, whatever. I saved that soldier, and now I have an idea of how powerful these animal things are… wait a minute, if all I wanted to know was how powerful they were… _

He almost wanted to punch himself when he membered he could have used **[Discern Enemy] **or any other magic that could analyze the physical and magical limitations of enemies. He could have used it, should have used it, on those monster things when he first saw them _then_ engaged them after saving the soldier.

_And now they're dead and I'm about to try to fight a hoard of them. Aw well, in for a penny out for a pound._ Graham stopped midway in his flight before landing down near the western gate of the city near several human soldiers who blanched at the sight of him landing amidst them.

"Wh-who are you?" One of the soldiers asked, holding his spear tightly.

"Not important right now. Who's the highest-ranking man here?" Graham hastily asked.

The soldiers looked to each other, gripping their weapons in uncertainty before a man of dark hair and brown eyes approached Graham.

"I am Welheart, Commander of this group. Are you here to support us?" Spoke the now named Commander, who also glared at Graham slightly.

Graham nodded before pointing at the battle happening ahead of them.

"Getting those men out of that fight is a necessary. I'm going to see what I can't do about those animal things after I get them out. You and every other soldier should get to the center of the city, protect the civilians and wounded, then try to regroup." Graham ordered.

The Commander scowled at Graham, his face reddening slightly at the undermining of his ranking. Then he looked back at his men, scared and already ragged. The man seemed to fall out of the sky and offer his assistance, and his mother always said to never look a gift dragon in the mouth. Mostly because you'd get burnt to death. Welheart turned back to Graham.

"You sure? They already breached the gate, half the damn wall is broken in from their last attack, and that's too many Beastmen for a magic caster, even one that knows 3rd tier magic." An honest answer, given that thousands of Beastmen were still in the battle.

Graham's brow rose at that last part. _Just 3__rd__ tier? _Something to keep in mind.

"I'll be fine. Just let me recall your men, and then get to the city's center." Graham walked to the continuing battle, ignoring the questioning look on the Commanders face and the confusion of his men. None of them had any idea what this strange man was talking about, but if he could help them with his magic against the Beastmen then who were they to question it. Hopefully it wouldn't back fire on them.

Graham's full attention was focused on the ongoing battle. He could see the ramshackle defensive structures set up by the city's defense forces, some fences with metal tipped spikes, caltrops to stop potential cavalry dispersed around the battleground, some manholes that were filled with the bodies of Beastmen, there was even a trench dug around the ground that separated the battleground and the city's entrance with several Beastmen corpses already rotting in them.

But these traps only seemed to delay smaller and weaker Beastmen, the main bulk of their army was still in the field of battle with the remaining human forces trying to assemble into some semblance of order. Across the battleground men were dying by the dozens as the Beastmen happily slaughtered their way past the defenders, their clubs and axes hacking men to pieces as their comrades tried to hack and slash their way past the animalistic monsters, only to receive the same treatment not moments later. Graham felt his teeth grind, the back of his eyes felt like they were going to ignite into fire, and his stomach clinched at the wanton slaughter occurring before him that seemed to have no end to it.

_Not on my damn watch. _ Graham lifted his right arm to the battle, hand open, and spoke.

"**[Widen Magic, Allied Recall]**!"

In an instant the entire battlefield began to glow with a bright white light. Every human that was still alive, wounded or otherwise had been enveloped by the blinding rays of white. Then just as suddenly the entire area was barren of all human combatants, with only the confused grunts and snorts of the Beastmen army remaining. Across from the Beastmen, the defenders nearest the city gasped at the disappearance of their comrades, most assumed they had been targeted and disintegrated by the magic spell, but had their breath taken away when all the men appeared a moment later behind the gate no worse then they had been moments before. Quickly, the defenders at the gate rounded up their remaining men, focusing the meat of their forces on the center of the city where they could protect the wounded and civilians.

Graham glanced back to the city's wall to see Commander Welheart barking orders at his men, directing them to the city's center while leaving a contingent to guard the walls. Graham also noted that he could hear the Commander and everyone all the way from his location, which had to be at least two hundred meters away from where he was. Good to know he had heightened senses.

_Now to deal with the other half of the problem._ But which spell to use? He'd already casted several attack and support spells, so maybe… of course.

"Summoning it is then." Graham smiled, hoping that a summon worked in the same way it did in Yggdrasil. No better time to test it than now.

"**[Summon Ancient Treemen, 4]**!**"** Ancient Treemen were roughly at level 75 to 80. They were great defensive monsters that had a high resistance to wind and earth elements, and they had a high HP pool that made them effective tanks against mobs. They had a notable weakness to fire and lightning, but they also had a rapid health regeneration skill along with their **[Summon Dryad Court] **ability. Overall, they were a perfect summon against weaker, numerous mobs of NPC's and monster especially when they summoned their Dryads.

Expecting the Treemen to pop up in front of him as was normal in Yggdrasil, Graham was surprised to see several of the trees nearest him begin to deform and uproot themselves from the ground. The surrounding forests encircled the city almost entirely, except for a small opening near the north west of the city. Plenty of trees and forestry created a sort of barrier against any outside force, typically this would have been a boon to the city's defenses and a deterrent to any invading army. But the Beastmen were no typical army, and the size of their forces and their superior natural strength allowed them to plow through forests with ease to reach the city. Now it seemed the forests would deter the Beastmen in a completely different manner.

Graham blinked as the four Treemen he summoned approached him, he could feel a sort of mental connection to the giant creatures and he could feel their own thoughts in his head. Interesting. Seemed they were still able to take orders from him, and that to be summoned they required a physical medium to manifest into the world. Trees for Treemen, and whatever else for any other summon. Good to know. Just in time too, the Beastmen had recovered from their collective confusion of all their adversaries disappearing and were heading towards the city in the thousands. There had to have been almost nine or ten thousand of them charging or jogging towards the city.

Graham looked towards the gnarled and wooden bodies of the Ancient Treemen, standing at an impressive four stories tall, rippling trunks for arms and legs, and the glowing green eyes each looking down upon him. They all stared back at him expectantly, waiting for a signal or order from the one who had created them. Words were unnecessary, and with but a nod of Graham's head, the Treemen roared a hollow and reverberating cry before making a lumbering charge towards the oncoming Beastmen, intent on meeting the beasts head on. While watching the charging Treemen Graham readied his own form of attack. With having tested out his spells through summoning, direct attacks, and support spells, it was time to see where his physical limits lied in this New World. If his stats and abilities translated into this world in a similar manner as in Yggdrasil, then it stood to reason that he should have enough strength to fight a great number of these Beastmen, who seemed to be of a similar level to low tier monsters. Even with three of his limiter rings on, and using mid-tier summons like the Treemen, Graham could tell from the Beastmen's aura that none of them could be above a level 30 monster.

Too easy.

The Treemen and Beastman charge had finally met near the center of the battlefield, where it became apparent that even with the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Beastmen, the Treemen's power and durability was too much for them to handle. With almost contemptuous ease the Treemen were able to squash, quite literally, a large portion of Beastmen with their bare hands. Groups of Beastmen went flying across the battleground as Treemen flung and kicked them around, squashing their bodies and shattering their bones to dust. Some of the savage monsters were smashed straight into the ground by a Treeman's rooted feet, or were strangled with their branch like hands, while others were treated to a gruesome round of spine ripping and skull removal. Even with the insane numerical disparity, the wave's of Beastmen only seemed to crash upon an unmoving wall of branch, trunk, and oak that flung their broken bodies across the forested soil. The slaughter became even more widespread when the Ancient's casted their spells and activated their unique skills on the waves of Beastmen, drowning them in a fiver of crimson liquid and dying their oak a rough red. Rocks spearheaded the earth as they rose by magic, piercing hundreds of Beastmen in the process, and fissures opened up from the earth to allow living roots to come out from the cracks to drag their helpless victims in the dark depths of the planet. Carnage was an apt descriptor for the scenery unfolding.

Every Treeman present had activated their unique skill **[Summon Dryad Court]** to call forth a host of a dozen Dryads. The Dryads were scaled to be around level 55 and were the perfect complements to the Treeman's stats and abilities. The Dryads had less health and resistance than their giant counter parts, and were less than an eigth their size, but they made up for this in their speed, agility, and their unique ability **[Weapon Mimicry]** that allowed them to shape their arms into a multitude of weapons, from swords and blades, to maces and axes, even ranged weapons like javelins and slings. They were the perfect duo of creatures, the large lumbering Treeman pulverizing handfuls of Beastmen every step of the way, while the Dryads ran swiftly past their prey, slicing them to bits before they could even react.

As he watched the carnage unfold, Graham felt no satisfaction or joy from the bloodshed, only that he knew it might stop these monsters from harming the people of the city any more than they already had. Graham reached into his inventory, a shining white void that tore into reality, and withdrew a sword that held a shattered blade. The hilt and guard were decorated with a depiction of creatures with many names, creatures that possessed both human heads and lion bodies, serpents that had a hundred legs and eyes, and large giants that were made of ice and fire. The blade showed a strange zig-zagged pattern on the dark iron, where it ended as the blade broke off into an uneven, jagged edge.

With only a moment to admire the sword's artistic quality, Graham rushed into the field of battle, a blur to the eyes of those observing. Moving at speed's never dreamed of, Graham cut down entire groups of Beastmen with _The Broken Blade of Babylon_.

Speeding across the entire area, dashing between herds of Beastmen, Graham found that he was too fast for any of the monsters to catch, let alone block his attacks. Already, from Graham and the Treemen's assault, a quarter of the beast army had been rendered a bloody paste. Yet still they continued to fight, as Graham and his summons felt no fatigue or weakness, and the Beastmen were too stubborn in their assault. But the cracks of fear began to show, as more and more Beastmen began to flee from the counter attack.

Five minutes was all it took. Over half of the Beastmen were annihilated, the other half making a mad retreat across the forest to safety. Beastmen were trampling over their allies to escape the unstoppable forces at work, dropping their weapons and eschewing their shields in favor of speed and a quick retreat.

When it became clear that the Beastman attack was over, Graham broke of his and the Treemen's attack. Watching the retreating forms of the animal like monsters, Graham sighed in exhaustion, though not from physical exertion. While he had ran, fought, and for the first time in his life, killed like a mad man, in truth he had only put a minimal amount of effort into his attack, not even utilizing any buffs, spells, or skills. His exhaustion was an emotional one, brought upon by the unbelievable circumstances that he had experienced thus far.

_First, I get transported to another world, save a guy from monsters with magic, then I just go and summon giant tree monsters. Oh, and of course, I proceed to just jump into a battle and kill a thousand Beastmen (nice to know what those things are called) all before my first sunrise! _Graham rubbed the bridge of his nose, exasperated. Looking back at the city, then to his Treemen and Dryads, who appeared to stand at attention while he was looking away, Graham grimaced.

"Let's hope the locals are welcoming. I sure hope doing that much damage is normal around here, else this is going to get really tough to explain." Graham sighed, already walking with his entourage of tree creatures towards a damaged, and likely frightened city.

**Character Sheet**

**Name:** Graham

**Race:** Human

**Position:** Loner, no affiliation

**Residence:** Unknown, wanders often

**Titles:** The Human that Scares Monsters, He Who Can Not Be Named, The Unsung Hero

**Level:** 100

**Racial Levels:** N/A

**Job Levels:** ERROR

**Alignment:** Good (+500 Karma)

**Stats**

**HP: **Unknown

**MP: **Unknown

**Physical Attack: **Unknown

**Physical Defense: **Unknown

**Agility: **Unknown

**Magical Attack: **Unknown

**Magical Defense: **Unknown

**Resistance: **Unknown

**Special: **Unknown

More to come. Graham's power will be reveled soon. As will a certain Overlord.


	2. Chapter 2

A full day had passed since the siege of the city. With the Beastmen driven off and the remaining defenders taking count of their losses, Agosvale was slowly but surely able to recover.

A missive had been sent out to the capital to report the sudden incursion by the Beastmen. In hopes to draw support from the Queen and to bolster the moral of the people, Commander Welheart had taken to organizing the defending forces to scout out the area around the city. No good could come from any stragglers left in the forests.

While the defenders had taken losses, they had been lucky that casualties had not surpassed fifty percent of their total forces. A rarity in current times, as most cities faced a near total obliteration by the Beastmen and their ravenous armies.

The three cities eastward of Agosvale had lost contact with the rest of The Dragon Kingdom, and only sparse stories of debauchery, horrific feasts of human flesh, and bloody sacrifices reached their ears. None of it encouraging.

Since the beginning of the war, if it could be called that, The Dragon Kingdom had lost thousands of its people to the Beastmen Nation. If not from fighting, then those killed were used as food or sent to places unknown to be used as slaves. Rumors and hearsay spoke of The Empire secretly dealing with the Beastmen, or that an even larger country was forcing the Beastmen west to The Dragon Kingdom.

No one in power believed that Baharuth would deal with the savage beasts, but a stronger nation making them desperate enough to attack the Kingdom? A frightening prospect.

As Commander Welheart looked over the provisions and continuing reports on the city he sighed in exhaustion. He was thankful, damn near in tears, that Agosvale was still standing, let alone that more of his men were alive than he would have expected. But the casualties were still high and too many sections of the city had been damaged to his liking. Better than being dead, but only by so much.

"Commander, we have the latest reports."

More reports. Great. Welheart turned in his makeshift desk to the messenger, one of his Lieutenants, as he handed him the report. The smaller stack of papers finding company near the much larger stack on his desk.

With much of the city still damaged, the only appropriate commodities for him and the other officers was in a tavern near the church. Located near the center of the city it provided adequate centralization, but it also smelled like cheap alcohol and damp wood. Most of the civilians were relocated in the middle of the city, those lucky enough were able to move back into their housing, while others had to find refuge in tents or with friends and family.

Anyone else had to stick it out closer to the walls or in the damaged frames of burnt houses. Not the best options, but at least no one was forced outside the city.

Welheart rubbed his eyes, dark circles already forming from another sleepless night, and the words on the parchment looking like blobs and squiggles. He hated literature sometimes.

Taking notice of the Lieutenant still being present, and fidgeting with his hands, Welheart sought to address the issue.

"You need something Lieutenant, or are you just standing there to look pretty?" Welheart spoke while signing another order, not even bothering to look up from his parchment.

The Lieutenant seized up before he could bring his thoughts to bare.

"Sir the uh… the men… well it's about those tree things and uh…" he stumbled off as the Commander turned to glare at him.

"Lieutenant. Don't waste what little time I have by mumbling about something I might need to know. Talk." The Lieutenant swallowed before continuing.

"Sir, the men, and everyone else, they're getting nervous about the tree creatures. They're also asking a lot of questions about that man and who he is. It's… getting to be an issue, sir."

Welheart paused in his writing, placing his quill down to rub between his forehead and nose. Of course, everyone would be asking about the trees and the magic caster; being the highest-ranking officer in the city, he was the one expected to answer their questions.

Like he had any damn idea.

"Are the nobles getting uppity again?" Welheart asked.

"Yes sir, but it's also the civilians, the merchants, the adventurers, everyone sir."

"Everyone then. Great." Welheart groaned, he had half a mind to let the Beastmen back into the city just to escape the bureaucracy.

He and everyone in the city owned that man a debt. He was grateful, everyone was, that he had appeared when he did. Just flew right into the battle, summoned those tree creatures and took to the battle with nothing more than a sword while slaughtering the Beastmen. There wasn't a man, woman, or child that didn't want to kiss the man on his face after hearing about it. There was also no shortage of adventurers who wanted to see the man for some reason. Likely to team up or sponsor him, like the merchants or nobles.

After the battle was over, the man just came up to the city and started healing people. While healing magic was far from unknown, or rare, having the ability to heal hundreds at a time was something no one in Agosvale had ever seen. His magic was so powerful that soldiers on the brink of death, with missing limbs or hemorrhaging, were healed to such an extent that their limbs regrew, their bodies were filled full of blood, rot and gout disappeared, and any other minor injuries were erased from existence.

He'd heard some of the local priests arguing over something about providence and divine intervention. Welheart hoped the church wasn't going to get involved in an already delicate situation. His eyes and his writing hand couldn't take it.

As for the tree creatures, they stayed outside of the city near the defensive line. Ever since they started patrolling in Agosvale all they'd done was lumber along the outskirts of the city and stand guard. It unnerved the guards and everyone else, but since they hadn't made any aggressive moves no one bothered them.

Which was just fine for Welheart, he had enough to deal with and a confrontation with those creatures was the last thing he needed. It wouldn't end well for anyone in Agosvale, if the Beastmen corpses scattered around could attest to their strength.

Welheart wetted his mouth, finished dotting his parchment, then looked to the Lieutenant who was still on edge, but seemed to have gained his footing after his statement to the Commander.

"Where is he right now?" Welheart questioned.

"Sir the… man is in the same house he was yesterday," The Lieutenant answered. "He came out several times to check on the civilians and to look over the city. He also requested to see one of our men, a Captain Tagar sir."

Tagar? Captain Hammar? Welheart had no idea why the man wanted to talk to Hammar, but that was something to investigate later. For now, he needed to rip the old gauze off, and nip this issue in the bud before it grew out of control.

"Alright. I'm going to talk with this man, you're excused for now Lieutenant," Welheart ordered while standing up. Picking his sword up from the wall it was leaning on, Welheart walked out of the moist tavern air. "Report back to your station and keep an eye out for the other officers. Make sure none of them try anything stupid with the trees, and if the nobles or anyone not under my direct command bothers you, just say that I'm taking care of it and move on. Got it?"

"Sir, yes sir." With that the Lieutenant walked away at a brisk pace, glad to be away from the Commanders aggravated mood.

Welheart stretched his neck and back, satisfying cracks sounding as his spine realigned itself, before nodding at two of the guards nearest him. They reported to his sides and accompanied him to the temporary abode of this powerful mystery man, hopefully not for the last time.

_Gods I'm going to get absolutely smashed after this I swear… _

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When he took his first step into the city he saw the broken-down wall and the burnt buildings. First impressions were not great, and Graham knew that it was going to get worse before it got better.

He hadn't seen things like war up close in real life. The history books from school showed plenty of examples, some with pictures from the Arcology War, the World Wars, and even pottery depicting ancient warfare from Rome or China or wherever. His professors, some of who had fought in the Arcology War, stressed the concept of learning from these wars, not to simply prepare for them, but to avoid and mitigate them whenever possible.

Graham had taken after his father in his beliefs that war, and the military, were not glorious and that it should never be indorsed or seen as righteous. It was something that needed to end quick, to be seen in all its horror, and to learn from it. That was it.

Graham knew why his father told him that, but he wasn't prepared to see the results of war.

The bleeding soldiers, the men and women rushing around trying to keep people alive for a little while longer. The men sitting or standing around unable to do anything but watch, wait, or die from mortal wounds. The helplessness was more palpable than anything he'd ever experienced.

Everyone who wasn't a soldier wasn't much better. They were scared. So scared and confused. He saw it in their eyes, in their faces and bodies. Children crying and weeping, not screaming loudly with vigor, but whimpering silently as adults and older children huddled near them and did the same. Just… quieter.

Graham felt daggers of hot and cold in his lungs. He was so scared to see people like this. This wasn't Yggdrasil, nothing in Yggdrasil could come close to this. This wasn't a game, this wasn't fun or like an adventure where killing the monster saved the day and the hero had a happily ever after.

This was real. Visceral.

He almost cried. He nearly broke down from the realization that these people, real, living, thinking_ people_, were under this kind of suffering. He read about the consequences of war but seeing it first hand was more than he could take.

But he didn't break down. Instead he felt something in him spark.

He knew he had magic. He knew he had items of great power. He also knew he could defeat those 'Beastmen' that tried to kill these people.

So, he knew damn well he was going to do something with that knowledge.

He was surprised at how powerful **[Greater Healing]** had been. He already used it on that one soldier, whose name he later learned was Tagar, but he didn't know to what extent it could heal people. When he used it in conjunction with **[Widen Magic]** he was just as shocked as everyone around him.

He saw several soldiers grow their arms, legs, and hands back in seconds. Wounds that covered half a man's body were sealed shut with no scar or marks, as if it never existed. Rotting limbs lost their dirty brown complexion and pale skin shined with a healthy glow as feeling and vigor returned to their owners.

Everyone around him seemed to be in awe as his magic did its work, and many more stopped to stare at what could only be described as a miracle. Graham could barely keep his jaw from hanging at the amount of people he healed, and how quickly the healing process worked its magic. Regrowing limbs wasn't exactly in his spell's description back in Yggdrasil, but in this world it seemed to do exactly that and more.

In all honesty, that shouldn't have shocked him as much as it did, given he summoned four Ancient Treemen and fought an army of Beastmen with a Divine class weapon.

But it did.

Everything after that was a blur, with people moving around, Graham healing anyone that needed it, and the soldiers securing the surrounding area. He made sure to send out a mental command to the Treemen to stay out of the city while remaining near the walls. Big creatures did not do well in tiny spaces, and Treemen were plenty big.

Thus, Graham found himself in a decently sized house, courtesy of the soldiers and that Commander Welheart. They seemed fairly accommodating to his situation and left him to his own devices for the most part. He went out a couple times since arriving to check on the people, and to get a feel for the city. Most of what he felt was fear, tiredness, and more fear on the part of the people, though they seemed to be doing better as time moved on.

Not a fantastic thing to see or feel, but it was better than having the entire city be six feet under and being compost for the soil.

He also had a feeling the Commander placed him in the house to keep him away from everyone else, and from the soldiers. Maybe because he thought Graham was still a threat, which was understandable, or because he just didn't want to deal with him for the time being. Again, understandable. Graham wouldn't want to deal with anyone like himself if his home had been attacked by hairy beast monsters.

Sitting near the edge of his bed, which was just some straw with a quilted blanket on top a wooden frame, Graham fiddled with an object from Yggdrasil. Rather, THE object from Yggdrasil.

The item was in the shape of a cube with a dark glossy surface. It was perfectly shaped with its clean and smooth surface to its sharp and pointy edges and corners. It was about the size of an adult's palm, no bigger than a fist and as heavy as a paperweight. It was simple, small, almost insignificant in how mundane it appeared. But it had to be the same Seed from before since it was the only item in his inventory that he didn't immediately recognize.

_Not sure if I should be amazed or just…I don't know._ Graham's face scrunched up, consternation filling his expression. _There's no way this is Yggdrasil. Just no way._

Graham tried to examine the cube with his magic to see if there was some hidden power or gimmick, like some items in Yggdrasil, but nothing. It was a dark, glossy cube. No magic. No abilities. No secrets. Nothing.

Graham sighed.

"Of all the things today, you have got to be the strangest," Graham spoke while holding the cub up above his head. "What now? What am I supposed to do with a cube?"

He felt tired again. Nothing new, but now he could take some time for himself and start to really process his situation.

He was in a new world, with monsters and magic, magic that was potentially like magic in Yggdrasil for some reason. That also meant that there was a connection between this world and Yggdrasil in some weird, magical way. So maybe he could get back to Yggdrasil and back to his world if he could find that connection.

Or maybe not. Maybe he was stuck. He frowned deeply at the thought. He still had family, his sister and his parents, his friends, his school and his life. There were a lot of things he could lose if he couldn't return home. A lot of things left undone.

Graham signed once more as his head hung. He gripped the cube ever so slightly.

_One thing at a time. Getting ahead of myself isn't going to help if I'm just going to mope about it._

Hearing a knock at the door, Graham raised his head. _Wonder who it is?_

"Who is it?" Graham asked.

"Commander Welheart." Came the reply.

_Oh. Cool._ Graham wasn't surprised it was the Commander, but he could see through the door that he had two other people with him. Likely as body guards incase of something happening. Probably because of him.

Graham released a breath of air, already dreading the idea of being chewed out by the Commander. He probably did something stupid without realizing it, and since everyone was still on pins and needles around him, they were probably too nervous to speak out against him.

"Door's unlocked, you can come in." Graham said while standing up, and subtly placing the cube back in his inventory.

As he expected the Commander and his bodyguards entered his temporary abode and proceeded to close the door behind him. One of the men stood at attention near the door while the other stood against the wall to Grahams right. The Commander took up the remaining spot in front of Graham, standing face to face with him.

Graham took notice of how the Commander appeared more ragged than the previous day, his eyes had darker circles that almost looked like holes drilled into his skull. His face somehow looked more unshaven and scragglier like he'd aged a couple years in one night. His eyes were bloodshot from a clear lack of sleep, and they were almost entirely red around the whites of his eyes.

In short, he looked both exhausted and terrifying. Not helping with Grahams nerves at all.

The Commander stood at attention while glancing up and down at Graham, noticing how he was only slightly shorter than the stranger. He hadn't gotten a clear look at him with all the hectic business around the city, but now that he had the time, he was honestly surprised.

He looked younger than his own son, barely past twenty summers. He was rather plain and ordinary in his presentation with only a dark blue coat to cover most of his upper body, some dark colored pants and shoes that looked to be made from boiled leather. While his skin tone and hair were something of a rarity within the Dragon Kingdom, he'd seen others with similar qualities, darker skin and lighter hair, in some neighboring nations.

His eyes were probably the most unusual thing about him, but even that seemed somewhat mundane with only the common brown that his own eyes possessed being overlaid by gentle golden tendrils.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Graham asked.

Welheart's snapped back to reality. He hadn't realized how long he had been staring at the man's eyes. That… might have made it awkward.

"I do," Welheart nodded. "First before anything else, I jut wanted to thank you for helping us when you did. You didn't have to, you could have just left and flown away, but you didn't. So, in representing the city of Agosvale and its people, thank you."

"Oh, uh, of course. No problem." Graham blushed.

"Hm," Welheart hummed, noting Grahams expression. "Moving on, I wanted to get to know exactly who it is that saved our city."

Graham cringed. He wasn't against letting people know who he was, but…

"That… might be a bit complicated."

Welheart raised a brow but appeared to have no reservations about Grahams statement. Graham rubbed the back of his neck, uncertain of how to go about explaining everything.

"So, maybe I should start at the beginning," Graham smiled weakly. "I don't suppose Yggdrasil means anything here?"

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Tagar groaned as he tried to work out a kink in his back. Walking throughout the dense forests of Agosvale, he and several other men had combed through its brushes and brambles looking for any straggling Beastmen or Beastmen scouts. So far, they had found only several corpses of Beastmen, either bled out after being abandoned by the remaining army or victims from scavengers in the forests.

The late day stretched the shadows of trees across the forest. The brownish green ground streaked with thick, dark lines, and the treetops resembled the dark roof of a stable with their all-encompassing blockage of the sky. It felt like a jail cell out in the middle of nowhere.

The Captain ensured that he and his men were tight in formation, near enough that they could see each other's blind spots in case of an ambush. Tagar kept a careful eye out for any magic casters or assassins.

"Captain, we've combed this area at least four times. There's nothing here," One of his men, Bakker, spoke out. "With respect, shouldn't we report back? It's getting late in the day and I would rather we be in the city before night, sir."

Tagar turned back to Bakker's direction to look him directly in the eye. He felt around his left hip to where sword was before touching the flute. The man, Graham, had said it was magical and could summon warriors to his side in a moment's notice.

Tagar felt some small satisfaction in that he could have reinforcements come at the blink of an eye. Two dozen warriors just by blowing wind into a wooden instrument. Hell, he'd never even played the flute, never liked how much it sounded like a bird with all the shrill and sharp noises it made.

Still, Bakker was right. It was getting dark and his men were tired and antsy, the same as him.

"Aye, it is I suppose," Tagar said as he turned to look up at the sky. "Alright lads let's head back. No use staying here if we're going to bellyache about it." Tagar joked towards Bakker, who smirked back at him.

"Yes sir, just like you bellyache about working on your reports." Bakker's eyes shone with well-intended mischief.

The others lightly chuckled at the banter, and even Tagar cracked a smile.

"Suppose you'll be doing it for me then, aye lads?" Tagars comment earned some groans and gasps, all in good spirit of course.

Most of the boys under his watch couldn't write more than a couple words, they could read well enough sure, but their writing looked more like ancient script than the modern tongue.

Tagar and his men had just begun their march back towards Agosvale, when they heard something approaching them. A subtle sound of thrush-thrush, something moving quickly across the leaf covered ground.

Tagar signaled his men to prepare, waving his hand for a circled formation. Whatever it was, it was coming from their rear, away from the city and likely not one of theirs.

His men drew their swords and raised their spears, while Tagar himself unsheathed his own blade and shield. He grazed the flute once more with his fingertips, for protection or to calm his nerves, he wasn't sure.

As the sound of running came closer, Tagar could make out the figure of a man in dark green clothing, a hood and what looked to be knives at his side. An Assassin, one that he'd seen before.

Before being sent out on their patrol in the woods, Tagar had seen several other groups of soldiers and adventurers being ordered about by Commander Welheart. He recalled seeing the Assassin amongst a group of silver and gold ranked adventurers.

"Arms down lads. He's one of ours." The tension immediately dropped between everyone, but Tagar was still on edge. Why would an Assassin from the Adventures Guild be running back to the city alone and with such haste?

Tagar waved down the man as he neared them.

He almost seemed to miss Tagar but was able to catch his movements in time to slow down next to his group.

"What's the trouble friend? Found some stragglers from the Beastmen, or have they regrouped already?" Tagar asked towards the panting adventurer.

Trying to catch his breath, the hooded adventurer pointed back where he had come from.

"Beastmen…army…," He panted before speaking again. "An army of Beastmen… bigger than the last is coming. My teammates were killed by an advanced scouting group before we could get out."

_Oh, fuck._ Tagar swore in his head. Agosvale was just starting to rebuild after the first attack and they didn't have half the men needed to push back another.

"How much larger, and how soon will they reach the city?" Tagar gripped the man by his arms.

"At least twenty maybe thirty thousand. It has to be one of their major armies, it's too large and has too many powerful Beastmen."

Tagar and his men paled at the thought. The previous army had around ten thousand Beastmen. With up to three times that number, plus any powerful Beastmen leaders, there was no way Agosvale would survive.

"They're about a couple hours from the city, it will be nightfall by the time they arrive or sooner." The Assassin answered, panicked himself but breathing better.

Tagar looked again into the brush of the trees at the sky. It was closer to night than before they started their patrol, and if they had until the night then it would take no small amount of time before they could get back to the city.

They had no horses to ride with, as any left were being used in the city for transportation or helping in reconstruction. It would take him and his men, as well as the assassin, at least until the cusp of night to arrive.

By then it would be too late.

They wouldn't have the time to ready any defenses before the bulk of the army arrived. It would be night and half the garrison would be asleep. Not to mention the hole in the wall hadn't been fixed from the previous assault.

But there was still a chance…

"Get back to the city right now!" Tagar shouted, not even bothering to respond to his men as he fled towards Agosvale with all the haste he could muster.

Hearing his men and the Assassin follow behind him, his only thoughts were of getting to Agosvale before the Beastmen and hopefully getting Graham to enact another miracle for the city.

_Gods be good to us, hopefully he can do something about this. No one else can. _

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"So exactly how bad is the situation here?"

Welheart looked up from his drink. Graham looked back at him with concern, knowing that it wasn't an easy question to answer.

Since Graham began his story, and what a story it was, Welheart had to order one of his men out to fetch him a drink. A _strong _drink.

Graham regaled him of a world that was like his own. Goblins, Dragons, Humans, all the creatures that Welheart had known through stories and from experience. But Graham went further in his story. Yggdrasil, a word foreign to his ears, was where he resided and traveled. It was a world were the gods had an active hand in the law of the land, where massive Dragons fought against nameless Abominations, and where heroes were so well known it was considered strange for a world to have none. When he told Welheart that magic beyond the seventh tier was common, even if Welheart wasn't a practitioner of such mystic arts, he knew what something beyond the seventh tier of magic was.

The realm of the gods.

But Graham spoke and acted like it was nothing more than a typical thing, as if it was as easy as breathing or thinking.

If only it were.

Nursing his drink as he considered Grahams question, Welheart wondered if he was in a drunken stupor. Could be given the madness he was indulging in, other worlds and godly magic.

"We're understaffed to handle all the destruction we faced," Welheart sipped at his drink as he lamented to Graham. "We lost most of our officers and higher ups by the time you arrived. The General and his staff were forced into battle when the Beastmen first breached the city. When they drove them off, they were ambushed by thousands of Beastmen that were hiding in the forest and encircled."

Welheart and the two men with him grimaced at the memory. It had been going well until that point when many of their comrades were ambushed, and the General and other officers were singled out by the Beastmen, then killed on the spot.

When the Beastmen had first attacked it had been night, a time when visibility was at its weakest for the garrison. The beasts had a magic caster with them that allowed them to destroy a portion of the wall to the west, soon after Beastmen were flooding the city by the hundreds.

The General and his men had been ambushed but were able to rally enough support to drive off their assault, and even kill the magic caster.

Hoping to boost morale, and to deal with a potential future problem, the General set out to kill the fleeing Beastmen. It seemed to be going well at first. The Beastmen were unorganized and had only the most basic premise of strategy, that being to overwhelm their enemy in loose formations of mobs. Cavalry was king in moments like those, where the horses could trample and crush Beastmen and their riders could cut, slash and pierce their disease ridden hides with lance or sword.

Then thousands of Beastmen came from the forest, howling like madmen and animals while wielding their crude yet powerful weapons. Every soldier not in the field was ready to soil their britches.

"As of now, I'm the highest-ranking officer in Agosvale. Frankly, I'm the _only _officer in Agosvale that isn't feeding the worms right now." Welheart sighed before taking a deep drink, gulping loudly despite being in the company of his own subordinates.

Graham looked to Welheart and to his men. They were all tired, half dead with exhaustion but still alert and very aware of the danger they faced.

He knew the city wouldn't survive an attack of just half the strength of the last army, even if they had time to prepare. They needed support from their own kingdom, support that would arrive too late if what Graham heard was anything to go by.

"You said your Queen had thirty of her Generals on the front lines. Maybe one of them could send their forces here?" Graham pondered.

Welheart's face soured before looking back up from his drink

"Normally they would. But since this war began our forces have been scattered and stretched across the kingdom, with fewer men to defend each region. Even if one of the Generals received our missive, they could send no more than a thousand men." Welheart's grip around the cup tightened.

He knew it was almost hopeless the moment his General and most of the garrison were ambushed. There were maybe two thousand soldiers in Agosvale after the attack. They used to have almost four thousand.

That sounded terrible to have lost almost half their forces, but, most leaders faced near total annihilation against the Beastmen armies when in battle. Losing half their numbers was terrible enough but having half of the remaining soldiers was better than none.

Graham glanced worriedly towards the Commander. Everyone in the city was in danger until they could fix the defenses and receive reinforcements.

He wasn't sure how to approach the situation. Normally, when in Yggdrasil, saving the town or city from a monster was enough to finish a quest. Kill the beast, return to the quest giver, receive items and reward. A simple, linear process.

This wasn't a simple or easy process.

People were vulnerable here and without more support they wouldn't make it in the long term. Even with the Treemen and Dryads helping the city, Graham wasn't sure if there were stronger Beastmen that could destroy his summons. The army that he fought wasn't strong by Yggdrasil standards, but that didn't mean there weren't other armies or individuals that could make Yggdrasil look like a wet blanket.

He had to be careful about this. He trusted Welheart's input, but he knew he wasn't he most knowledgeable person in the world.

During their conversation, Graham learned much about the world he was in after explaining his own. Welheart explained much about his kingdom and its history, some of the local religion called the Four Great Gods, even a little bit about magic and adventurers. Not to mention their history with some dragon called The Brightness Dragon Lord, and how he somehow had children with the ancestors of the current monarchy.

He did make it clear to Graham that he knew little else of magic other than the tiers and some spells he had seen as a soldier. So his limited knowledge of magic was only so useful, but it did help establish that magic was commonplace in the kingdom, and in other nations around them.

The fact that first tier spells were considered normal, if not impressive, was very concerning for Graham. If anyone, or anything, from Yggdrasil came to this world that was over level fifty, hell over level thirty, it would be catastrophic.

He sweat dropped in remembering that he himself was game breaking in Yggdrasil, let alone this world. If he took off even a single limiter ring without considering the consequences, and if he cast a spell in his uninhibited state?

Who knows what would happen. Even he didn't know the ramifications of his own power.

_Well, nothing worth doing is ever easy I suppose._

"Commander," Graham spoke up, Welheart focused his eyes back on Graham. "What's the chance of another army attacking the city?"

Welheart shifted his drink around, a tense look of concentration in his eyes.

"Almost certain. Given that enough Beastmen escaped your counter attack, it's likely they'll report to whoever the head Beastman is." Welheart swallowed the last bit of his drink.

"How many men do you need to defend the city?" Graham asked.

Welheart looked to the ceiling, cup empty and eyes glassing over.

"More." Welheart said.

The two bodyguards seemed to slump at their Commanders statement. They all knew it wouldn't be enough against a larger army of Beastmen. They didn't have enough reserves in their army to send to Agosvale, and the Adventurer Guild would only pay so much to send their adventurers to die against man-eating monsters. Even the adamantite adventurer team of Crystal Tear could only do so much with their small group of warriors.

In the long run, Agosvale was just another city that could afford to be lost if it bought the kingdom some time to prepare. It was a sad but pragmatic view.

Help wouldn't arrive in time, or if it did, it would only delay the inevitable. Even with Graham, who's story seemed almost mythical, victory didn't seem certain.

Graham's head wiped back suddenly, startling the Commander and his men into reaching for their respective swords on instinct.

"Something's wrong." Graham said quietly.

"What?" Welheart asked sharply. He could only take so many surprises in one lifetime.

Graham turned his head back to Welheart, his eyes shining with dim golden glow as they narrowed in focus. Like a hawk who realized it was flying into a rival's territory, it was a primal and hard concentration, something few would tempt to anger if they valued their lives.

"My Treemen just sent me a mental image," Graham explained while walking towards the door. "Tagar and some other soldiers just came running back from the forest. They looked panicked but I couldn't tell what they were saying."

Welheart felt his stomach drop into his foot.

Panicked men running back from patrol were always a bad sign. He'd seen it before when he was a private training in the west and near east. Welheart gritted his jaw at what could have sent almost a dozen seasoned soldiers running scared.

"Did your Treemen see where they are now?" Welheart bit his cheek in anticipation.

"They went past the gate. They're in the city." Graham answered back.

Welheart signaled to his men to let Graham through the door, with himself and his men on his tail.

This wasn't going to go over well, but Welheart was the head of the city. He needed to know.

Graham was also curious, and just as concerned. If the men that came back were so panicked and in such a wild rush, what could have scared them?

Deep down he had an idea of what it was.

He didn't like it.

999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

The plan had been simple at first. Just like all the others before them.

The first wave was meant to disrupt the human settlements and weaken their forces to make the invasion easier. The outlying settlements had already been raided and sacked by their forces for resources.

Especially food. The humans made good food for their warriors, and they made better sport when taken alive as playthings for the monsters they broke in.

But the newest city was meant to be a cakewalk.

A portion of the hoard was sent out to break down any serious defenses before killing their leadership. Destroy their security, disrupt their stability, and then finish off the wounded animal with overwhelming force.

Simple and effective, the same as any other.

"You bring me tales of defeat and the loss of over half the forces sent to weaken those soft worms. Despite the simple nature of the task, you return in disgrace and worse, you return _alive_ where as my warriors did _not_."

The Beastmen cowered before their much larger leader. His towering form a reminder of his status as one of the strongest Beastmen in their entire nation. His growling voice, so deep that the cowering Beastmen could feel it reverberate in their chests, brought only the thought of terror to their souls. Failure was unacceptable to the Beast Lord before them, and failure was punished without a shred of mercy or respite.

"Ten thousand of our warrior kin reduced to mere scraps in a days' time." The Beast Lord padded around the several Beastmen, their forms crumbling in on themselves as he glared at them.

"Now, I want an explanation from you, or I will have your corpses feasted on by the war beasts after I am through crushing your skulls." The massive Beastman emphasized by stomping his hoof onto the ground, the earth trembling slightly and giving in around his hoof.

The collective Beastmen quivered, their bravado shattered by the presence of their Lord, and the other Beastmen encircling them in the camp. The snickers and snorts from the surrounding crowd only further demeaned their status and cemented their inevitable demise.

"A human, one with magic, it summoned giant monsters and killed a score of our kin with just a blade!" A younger Beastman with the body of a panther spoke up, terror quivering in his voice.

The Beast Lord looked down at the younger welp, his goat like face unreadable but tempered with an intelligent rage at odds with his animalistic nature.

"You allowed a human to best you. Is this your answer?"

The panther Beastman barely had a moment to correct his wording before his head was smashed to the ground. The others still kneeling on the ground made no notice of their younger kin's death, his head smashed open like a pumpkin while blood was splattered across the ground.

"I will not allow the reputation of my hoard to be diminished by having our own food best us!" The Beast Lord snarled with a madness in his eyes, now fully enraged. "I will slaughter half of my own before I allow any to question our strength! You lot will be the first, but not before I have made use of your walking corpses!"

The Beast Lord gripped one of his kneeling warriors by the neck, lifting them with the ease of lifting a sack of feathers. Such was the strength of a Beast Lord that he barely noticed the weight of the other Beastman, even while he was struggling in the Lords grip.

"We attack with our full strength, and we will smash that pathetic city before the sun rises on us all. I expect my warriors to have a victory feast upon the ashes of that maggot city, and I will not have superstitious and frightful fools ruin our glory." The Beast Lord threw the disgraced fighter on the ground, the weaker Beastman whimpered at his bruised state.

"Leave my sight. I do not want to see your weakness until after the slaughter, then I shall deal out your fates." Waving the chastised Beastmen away, the Beast Lord turned to walk to his private tent.

Made of simple wood and animal skin, the tent was meant for the Beast Lords personal use, whether for sleeping, meetings with his subordinates, or to relieve himself with one of his females when he was feeling particularly…in need. Only a select few were allowed into his private domain, so it was no surprise that the Lords second in command was present when he entered.

"Malcrox, tell me of our forces. I will not let this failure undo everything we have accomplished."

Malcrox, the second in command of all his forces, and a Magic Caster capable of casting third tier magic, bowed before answering.

"We have assembled all our warriors from the surrounding packs. Berserkers, Beast Tamers, Skull Crushers, Horn Gougers, and of course my cadre of Magic Casters are all bowed to your will, Beast Lord Qhorn." The aged Beastman bowed, his hyena traits on display with his ever-present smile, and his hunched form held up by a wooden staff with a skull of undeterminable origin on its top.

Qhorn snarled, satisfied with the answer, but craving more details.

"Our numbers then? And the mercenaries?" Qhorn growled in demand.

"Your ranks have swelled Beast Lord. The Hoard now consists of over forty thousand of our kin, and the mercenaries that have joined add another five thousand. Giants and Trolls among their numbers." Malcrox answered eloquently, flourishing himself with a subtle growl and bowing of his head.

The Beast Lord hummed deeply from his chest, finding his rage sated with the news of his army's strength.

"The payment for their service to us?" Qhorn waved his clawed hand.

"As expected. More food, the right to weapons claimed in battle, and the access to any treasure in the human city. _If_ they reach it." The older Beastman added, noting how his Lord tensed up at the mentioning of treasure.

Qhorn snorted, mercenaries were unreliable in the worst of times, but their power and effectiveness were useful when victory was certain.

"Very well. Have the Pack Leaders and Elder Kin organize our numbers and prepare to march out. I will have that city before dawn Malcrox, and I will accept no failure on their part," Qhorn drew himself up to Malcrox, face just inches away from the elder's sunken eyes. "Nor will I accept yours."

Malcrox said nothing, bowing before his master in submission before exiting the tent to confer the orders given to him.

Qhorn hunched down to sit while calling in one of his females, an attractive young sheep Beastwoman, to keep him company for the night.

_I will show you elder brother. I will prove to our clan who is more deserving to sit at the throne. After I have dealt with this city, with the human worms, and then you, I will stand upon the corpses of my enemies and revel in glory. _

999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

Oh boy, looks like generic bad guy's coming around the corner.

So, not too much happening this chapter since it's more of a review of what happened last chapter and a preamble to the next chapter.

No Bone Daddy yet, and Grahams power is still under wraps. But, since I worked on it just a little bit while writing this chapter, here's an updated character sheet for Graham.

**Character Sheet**

**Name:** Graham

**Race:** Human

**Position:** Allied to Agosvale

**Residence:** Currently: Agosvale, Dragon Kingdom

**Titles:** Yggdrasil- [The Human that Scares Monsters, He Who Can Not Be Named, The Unsung Hero]

New World- [Stranger]

**Level:** 100

**Racial Levels:** N/A

**Job Levels:**

Traveler (?)

Lost One (?)

Slayer (?)

Human Armageddon (?)

Follower of Soteria (10)

Apostle of Heimdall (5)

**Alignment:** Good (+500 Karma)

**Stats**

**HP: **Unknown

**MP: **Unknown

**Physical Attack: **Unknown

**Physical Defense: **Unknown

**Agility: **Unknown

**Magical Attack: **Unknown

**Magical Defense: **Unknown

**Resistance: **Unknown

**Special: **Unknown

And that's all for now. Next chapter's going to be coming along, but don't expect anything too soon.

Oh. One more thing.

None of the above classes are Grahams most powerful. There's a better reason why Monsters Fear Him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Get the civilians to the eastern gate, we need to evacuate immediately!"

"I need more spears to the north, we don't have the numbers to withstand any cavalry!"

"Do we have any more Magic Casters?"

"You four, help the Adventurers with the civilians, it won't be long before the Beastmen are upon us."

All around Agosvale the sounds of soldiers running and jogging to and from could be heard. The entire city was put into an uproar by a last-minute party of soldiers reporting back from their patrol: a massive army of Beastmen more than double the size and strength of the last was marching their way to Agosvale.

Captain Tagar and his men had scarcely entered the city before news had spread of their report. An Adventurer and his team had located the massive force of Beastmen just hours away from the city, a massive congregation of powerful monsters along with wild animals and enormous Giants and gluttonous Trolls.

Nothing could sound so terrifying to any human city than an army of such horrific creatures.

With the cat out of the bag, and a city ready to be subsumed in panic, Commander Welheart made the decision to try and evacuate as many people as possible before the Beastmen arrived. In truth it was nothing more than a false hope fueled by desperation, and by a desire to have some sense of hope lest all hell brake lose before the battle had begun.

Though calling it a battle would be very generous given the sheer odds against them.

Graham stood at the forefront of the gate, observing the forests in hope of seeing the approaching army. His sight magnified by both his high stats and his classes, he could see for miles on end, hear the wings of a fly buzz, even feel the vibration of a squirrel jumping across a tree from miles away. So, to his horror, he could also confirm the report of the Beastmen army.

In fact, if anything, the Assassins estimation was watered down from what he saw. There had to be over forty thousand of the wild Demi-Humans in the army, not to mention the various animals like Wyverns, Drakes, Giant Elephants, and Dire Wolves. Giants, massive human-like Demi-Humans, wielding large clubs and maces were also present, alone with Trolls and Ogres.

"Damn it." Graham cursed underneath his breath.

With almost fifty thousand against the entire city, even if they drafted all the citizens it would still be tilted in the Beastmen's favor. Graham knew the city wouldn't survive, but he also knew he had power, more power than anything he had encountered in the new world so far.

But should he make full use of that power? He wasn't dumb enough not to use some of it, but there was a major difference in using a bucket of water to put out a camp fire and using a dam. Too much water could flood the surrounding area, putting out the fire at the expense of drowning the area in water.

He still had the Ancient Treemen, but the Dryads had disappeared after their time limit expired. Another aspect of magic to worry about. He could summon more Treemen, or he could summon something even more powerful that could destroy the army with casual ease.

But still, would it be too much? What impact would it have, and could he control it to a fine degree, so it wouldn't hurt anyone aside from the Beastmen? There were so many unknown factors it was impossible to get any useful information from it without _doing_ it.

Graham considered that he could fight the Beastmen with just his physical abilities and weapons, but that would be inefficient. He knew he was strong enough to fight off thousands of Beastmen at a time, but he was still just one man. Even if only a couple hundred slipped past him, hundreds more people would die.

It was too much to consider.

Magic was likely his best answer to multiple enemies. AOE spells that caused maximum damage but minimum impact on the environment were the optimal type of magic. Something like **[Soul Extraction]** used with **[Widen Magic]** could do the job.

He just had to make sure only the Beastmen were in range of the spell. No civilians, no people, no one that didn't have to die.

Graham scratched the crown of his head, frustrated with himself.

"Maybe if I wasn't an idiot I could have done more. If I just took out all the Beastmen, didn't let them run away…" Graham clinched his fist, his expression complicated. "No one would have to die."

Looking at the city once more, he could see the same expressions he saw when he first entered the city.

Soldiers trying to be brave, putting on a façade while on the verge of breaking down. Trying to be strong for the civilians and each other, knowing that victory was almost impossible, and hoping that there would at least be some survivors to tell their tales.

Good men, all of them.

The people, civilians who had hardly seen combat outside a wolf raiding a chicken pen or fighting in a local bar. More children running with their parents, uncertainty and fear on their faces as their parents tried to assure them they would be safe. They were just hoping to live after this, they didn't ask for much else, just to continue living their lives their own way.

They didn't deserve this.

Even the Adventurers had their unique reactions. Most were lower ranked, below gold plates, and showed plenty of concern for the citizens, regardless of if the Adventurers were from the Dragon Kingdom or not. Those older Adventurers were more solemn, not cruel or harsh, but they understood what was happening. Even then they helped with the evacuation, freeing up the soldiers to guard the wall and prepare for a siege.

Honorable warriors, each of them.

Graham felt something in his belly. A fire, something hot and burning. It wasn't wrath or anger, though he had no shortage of that, seeing so many people like himself reduced to… this. It did anger him, that the Beastmen were attacking their home in the name of casual conquest.

But that fire wasn't rage, instead it felt defiant. Something in him was demanding the preservation of what he was seeing, that everything these people experienced was to be an example.

Of strength.

_They just want to live their lives, innocent or not. What do the Beastmen want that drives them to war with the Dragon Kingdom? Revenge? Territory? Resources?_

To Graham it didn't matter. This wasn't a war the Dragon Kingdom could win. This wasn't a war Agosvale could win. This wasn't a war anyone in their position could win.

Call him immature, call him idealistic, but Graham wasn't going to just watch people die when he could stop it. Ramifications be damned, what ever enemies he faced be damned.

Graham caught a glimpse of Commander Welheart directing more troops to the western district of the city. Seeing the near skeletal face of Welheart, Graham knew he was feeling the effects of an understaffed leader.

"Commander, can I borrow a minute?" Graham waved towards the Commander.

Turning away from several of his men, Welheart quickly ushered them away before giving Graham his full attention. Though the Commander had been run ragged for the past several days and looked to have more in common with the dead than living, his mind was as sharp as ever. His patience less so.

"Better make it quick. I have deserters trying to steal food, civilians refusing to run, and too many problems to solve alone." Welheart grunted.

"I will," Graham nodded in understanding. He knew Welheart was being pushed past his limit and he needed all the time he could get. "I might be able to beat the Beastmen, maybe even force them to retreat outside the kingdom."

Welheart raised an eyebrow at Grahams bold statement. The young man was powerful, and if anyone could defeat an army of that size he was their best bet. Even still, he wasn't sure if Graham could beat an army that size. The only Humans alive that could _maybe_ do so were far outside the Dragon Kingdom, and far removed from their plight.

"How?" Welheart asked.

"Well, option one is I challenge their leader. If I can beat them in the open, maybe break up their leadership, it might demoralize them enough to retreat. Or it might cause them to fall apart and fight for leadership." Graham deduced.

Welheart had to admit, it wasn't a terrible thought. Beastmen followed a strict law of the strongest ruling over others, so if their strongest was killed by an enemy in open view, it might force them to retreat or break apart.

But these Beastmen were more organized than the traditional raiding parties. Cutting the head off might cause two lesser, but still powerful heads to grow back. Then they'd have two armies to worry about.

Graham saw the look on Welheart's face. He knew Welheart wasn't certain of his claim, and that he might not be able to defeat the Beastman leader.

"The second option is a spell that can affect an area of enemies. It won't damage anything except for the Beastmen, but I need the area to be clear, so I don't unintentionally kill anyone else. Even then I might not be able to kill all of them." Graham said with uncertainty.

He knew the magic in this world was like the magic system in Yggdrasil, but there were differences that he couldn't account for like the Treemen using trees to be summoned, and then existing for longer than they would in Yggdrasil.

Yet the Dryads had been summoned and despawned the same way they would in Yggdrasil. If he used his spell, one that had a wide area of effect and instantly killed any enemy, he wasn't sure what the difference would be, if any.

There could be a chain reaction of multiple deaths across a wider area, he could unintentionally summon an army of Undead, he might even draw the attention of something far more powerful than an army of Beastmen.

Too much to consider. So many possibilities for things to go wrong.

But doing nothing would guarantee Agosvale's destruction by the Beastmen. At least if he did something, there would only be a potential chance for everything to go wrong.

Not perfect. Just preferable.

Welheart puckered his lips and shifted his jaw while looking at Graham. If Graham went out there and lost, their brightest chance at surviving this battle was gone. But if he thought he could end the battle before it could get to their doorsteps? Hell, he would have sold his soul if the kid had asked him by that point.

"If you think you can do something, do it." Welheart instructed to Graham.

Nodding in appreciation to Welheart, Graham walked past the hubbub of the city, passing several soldiers who stopped for a moment to stare before returning to their positions. Halting just outside the broken wall, Graham looked towards the four Ancient Treemen who had taken up a guardian position of the city outside the west gate.

"Stay one hundred meters away from the west of the city. If any stragglers come this way you know what to do." The Treemen nodded their wooden heads to Grahams orders, marching to the outskirts of the city before stopping at exactly one hundred meters away from the city.

Satisfied that the city had some protection from the Beastmen, Graham took the time to do some adjustments to his clothing.

His normal coat and pants were alright, but if he needed to fight he needed more than just a jacket and gloves.

With all his armors available to him, choosing could be problematic due to the vast quantity he possessed. But, since he was facing a foe he would need both magic and physical skill to defeat, a balanced armor set was preferable.

A gentle glow engulfed Grahams body as he held his arms parallel to the ground. As the glow died down, his clothing had changed from a coat, pants and undershirt to a longer black trench coat with armor at the chest and shoulders. His pants and boots were replaced with dark black armored legs, and his armor was given a golden outline to trace the darker colored armor.

_The Battle Dress of Avalon._ Dress though it may be, it was a Divine class item only obtainable through completing the Arthurian War Target Quest. Slaying Morgan Le Fae and defeating the Dragon of Avalon's Sin was difficult, especially since any Skills or Racial Skills were nullified by the Dragon, and Morgan was a very powerful Magic Caster, able to cast tenth tier spells by the dozens to support the Dragon.

He always hated that Dragon.

The 'Dress' in question was a balanced choice, able to support both magic and warrior skills while boosting the resistance of its wielder to a degree where most poisons, toxins and curses were nullified, even at the higher tier.

Satisfied at his choice of wear, Graham casted **[Fly]** before leaping off into the sky, the earth cracking from the force of his jump, and a resounding boom following his acceleration in the air.

Flying at break neck speed, Graham found that in almost no time he had flown right above the heads of the Beastman army. None of their scouts or warriors had noticed him yet nor had any of their magic users thrown any spells at him.

The perfect opportunity to present himself in the most boisterous manner possible.

Halting to a stand still in the air, Graham angled himself downwards in front of the army. With a shockwave nipping at his heels he rocketed down to the earth.

The sudden shockwave and accompanying explosion ahead of the Beastmen brought their march to a halt. Every Beastman present began to ready themselves for a fight as the Demi-Humans drew their weapons, unsheathed their claws, or readied their spells for a fight.

As the dust cleared from the epicenter of the explosion a figure revealed itself to the collective army. A single human, one that appeared to have armor but no weapons, stepped out of the sizable crater that formed from his impact and spoke to the collective army.

"**I CHALLENGE THE LEADER OF THIS ARMY TO SINGLE COMBAT! ACCEPT MY CHALLENGE OR PROCLAIM YOURSELF A COWARD IN THE PRESENCE OF YOUR OWN SOLDIERS!" **

Graham frowned after finishing his little speech. Using **[Project Voice] **to amplify his voice would hopefully allow his challenge to be heard by the leader of the army, and if their leader didn't hear it, one of the subordinates certainly did.

But that didn't mean it would work. They might decline or ignore his challenge, not to mention he still didn't know if they would be stronger than most of the other Beastmen.

While standing mere yards away from the Beastmen, Graham could see how the entire procession had halted and, contrary to what he expected, seemed to be waiting for something.

They made plenty of noise to be certain, braying, growling, squawking, roaring, the kind of thing a wild animal would do. A bunch of noisy, angry, wild animals.

_They really know how to get on someone's nerves. I could see why this would be scary to anybody else, especially if they couldn't use magic or any warrior skills. _

Seeing a shift in the rough formations of the Beastmen, Graham saw a Beastman larger than any other pave his way through the Demi-Human army.

As the crowd of Beastmen cleared a way for the figure, it revealed itself to be the hulking form of a massive goat-like beast. Dark brown and black fur covered much of its body, while piecemeal armor encompassed the upper half of the body most prominently on the chest and stomach. Four large and curved horns decorated the crown of its head and a messy and gangly beard hung down from its chin, a filthy white color from a combination of dirt, blood and other things.

Striding past his warriors with a smaller entourage of Beastmen in tow, the apparent leader of the Beastman force swaggered up to Graham with all the charisma a warlord needed.

His posse consisted of several smaller but strong looking Beastmen with a variety of weapons but no sign of magic. A sign that they were the true elite warriors of the Beastmen.

The more noticeable Beastman was a hooded figure that was hunched over and carried a staff with a skull on its top. A Magic Caster, easy enough to spot. Behind him were several other cloaked individuals, all of them Magic Casters of a lesser power than the hunched back Beastman.

Stopping some feet away from Graham, the largest Beastman spoke in a rough, commanding voice.

"I am Qhorn, Beast Lord to this hoard before you maggot," The Beast Lord snorted, while rotating his head towards the massive crowds, a move that had the army in a ruckus at their lord's gaze. "You, mere food, think to challenge the pinnacle of our race? Do you yearn for death maggot, or are you as weak in mind as you are in body?"

"…"

"It matters not. You and your kind are nothing but meals for my people, but your bravado amuses me weakling," Qhorn moved up close to Graham, enough so that he could smell his putrid breath. "I will accept this challenge, if not for your impressive ego, then to satiate my appetite as I feast on your corpse!"

Qhorn's announcement had his underlings in rapture as they screamed and hollered in an orgy of violent pleasure. Their excitement blocking out any noise other than their chanting for miles, enough so that Agosvale could vaguely hear their debauched chanting.

Qhorn himself seemed satisfied at his proclamation, and his closest underlings were also reveling in his show of strength, just as much as they reveled in the thought of violence upon the foolish Human who had intruded upon them.

Qhorn smiled with dark intention, showing his fanged and crooked teeth, their white color marred with stains of blood.

"After you are dead weakling, take comfort in knowing that you will not see the banquet that I shall hold in my honor, with your crumbling city as my feasting hall to all my warriors!" The cheering for Qhorn reached a pitched fever at his announcement.

"…"

"You have nothing to say then?" Qhorn grunted at Graham, who remained deathly silent. "Very well, then we shall commence the battle now!"

With a sudden snarl and roar, the Beast Lord charged directly at Graham, intending to finish him in one blow.

Graham said and did nothing, standing as a statue with an expressionless face. Nothing seemed to bother him, yet his eyes told a different story as the golden waves within them waved and whipped violently.

Right before the Beast Lord charged head first into Graham, he employed a favored move of his to further rile up his subordinates, and to make a show of his power.

"**[Martial Arts: Deadly Strike]!**" Qhorn's fist struck out as it glowed a striking red.

His favored attack, though not his strongest, was a combination of bludgeoning and piercing attacks. It gave him strength that was double his typical damage, though only for a brief period. No human had ever survived a single blow from the strike, and only his brother and the Beast King had survived more than two of the attacks.

A resounding crash was heard near the battle, as the Beast Lord's attack struck true upon Graham and the impact caused the ground to shake with small tremors, enough that those closest stepped back in awe. Their leader had very few chances to openly display his prowess outside of battle, as few would be foolish enough to challenge the third strongest Beastman in their nation. Even if they bested him, his brother would be bound by a blood oath to avenge the younger Qhorn's death.

Qhorn smirked as he felt his fist connect with the soon to be food. Just as the previous Humans he had fought, this one would also be nothing but mush and-

"Excuse you."

Red eyes widened in shock as Qhorn gawked at the sight before him.

Standing in the exact same spot, face casted in a dark shadow as the Beast Lord's fist pushed against his armored chest, Graham remained unharmed and unmoved by the Beast Lord's attack. Not an inch of him bled, and nothing about him resembled mush or pulp.

He barely noticed the punch. He was too caught up in what the Beast Lord said during his rant to bother acknowledging the negligible attack.

"I must have misheard you. Did you say… you _eat_ people?" Graham's tone wasn't so much a question, as it was an accusation.

Graham walked towards the Beastman, pushing his hand out of the way without moving his own, instead relying upon the force of his body moving against the fist to force it off.

It felt like pushing against a balloon.

The Beast Lord struggled with visible effort not to yield to the pressure of Graham's movement. But try as he might, Graham was far too superior in strength as he forced the Beast Lord to trip himself onto his ass.

Humiliated, and enraged, Qhorn jumped to his hoofs and foamed at the mouth.

"You… you cheated! Your magic will not save you bug, I will have you bleeding on the ground and screaming- "

"I made a mistake before." Graham interrupted, looking at the Beast Lord. His gaze seemed hollow while he stared, as if he wasn't speaking to Qhorn at all.

"You have indeed, bug! I will run over your corpse and let the hounds gnaw at your bones when I am through!" Qhorn was fully enraged, the compromising position the Human had put him in would cause no end of grief from his subordinates, possibly even Malcrox the old bastard.

He would end this human nuisance and remove the stain of dishonor before it had time to settle. His strongest attack would leave a mark in the minds of his underlings that he, and only he, was the strongest. No Human would make his followers doubt him.

"**[Martial Art: Unleashed Beast]!**"

Qhorn's most powerful attack, one he had developed years after his fight against his brother and their king. It was a potent but taxing Martial Art, for it gave the user access to speed and strength over three times their limit, limited the pain received by enemies, and negated any magical defenses. In return, the user was left exhausted and almost immobile for over five hours and required rest for half a week before coming back to full fighting strength.

His body engulfed in a flaming light, Qhorn once more charged at Graham and struck him so quickly, onlookers could not have seen his movements. They would have only seen him disappear and reappear near Graham before striking him.

An even larger cloud of dust engulfed the battle that blocked the view of all present. Most were forced to chock down some of the dust, and to turn away from the small storm of particulates being flung around. Malcrox had casted a shielding spell around himself and Qhorn's retinue but were still otherwise unable to see or smell anything.

When the dust had settled, Malcrox and the retinue had hoped to see their lord standing over the smashed corpse of the Human fool. Another example in a long list of names of those who would anger a Beast Lord, especially one as powerful as Qhorn.

Instead, their eyes bulged out and jaws hung low at the sight before them.

The Human was standing. Exactly as before, without a mark or scratch on him. His face awash with a cold and chilling fury that only he could understand.

Their lord on the other hand was in far worse condition.

"Gggh… damn…you…" Qhorn struggled to breath as he cursed Graham.

Both his arms had been destroyed and were hanging off his body like sacks of meat on a rack. Blood poured from bones sticking out of his arms, pooling around him as he panted in agony and exhaustion.

His attack hadn't just failed, it had back fired when he struck the Human with both his hands. Even with all his force and strength, even with his strongest Martial Arts, all he had done was cause himself pain and damage.

Meanwhile, the Human remained unchanged and barely acknowledged Qhorn's attempt to harm him.

"I said I made a mistake last time." Graham spoke to no one in particular, his face like stone, while his eyes revealed violent golden threads over a cruel brown surface.

Graham stepped towards the Beast Lord and his minions as he continued to speak.

"The last time I fought you Beastmen I let quite a few of you escape. Then you come back in greater numbers to kill everyone in the city." Graham's voice was a whisper on the edge of becoming a bellow.

"**Then I learn you planned to eat everyone in that city. You planned to eat breathing, thinking people. Judging by your language, I'm assuming you've done a lot of this before haven't you?**"Grahams voice projected across the field, but his tone was kept the same.

A chilling voice in the back of every Beastman's head.

"You aren't like the others… you can't be a weak human…" Qhorn muttered. His bravado evaporating and his fear becoming palpable to those around him.

Graham spared him only a brief look. He walked to the barely standing Beastman, looking at his half dead form.

With a swift uppercut, Graham swung at the Beast Lord's upper body. In a flash of blood and guts, Qhorn, Beast Lord of the Beastman Nation, had been reduced to the lower half of his body. The upper half of his body was now a large splatter of blood upon the ground, his bones, organs and internal structure had been instantly pulverized into sludge and blood.

"**Like I said, my mistake was being merciful to a bunch of cannibal monsters,"** Graham's eyes narrowed, giving him the appearance of a malevolent spirit with his glowing eyes and shadowed body. His dark armor and clothing enhancing his intimidation, as the gold lines highlighted the darker shadows and armor. "**So, I'll make this simple. None of you are leaving, alive or dead**."

Raising his arm to the now panic stricken Beastmen, Graham uttered his death sentence to the terrified Beastman forces.

"**[****Mictlantecuhtli's Feasting Ground]**"

The wind stilled. Animals ceased to chirp or make noise. Even the sun seemed to dim. Everything stood still in a silent terror to some unnamed horror. Nothing dared to break the silence in fear of what repercussion they would receive. As if the world was a delicate glass that would shatter the moment anything moved.

That silence was broken by the wails of the damned.

Ethereal gates appeared around the Beastman army, decorated with skulls and feathers of races unknown. From the doors, adorned with skeletal warriors and humanoid beings with bone armor and simple sandals, came spirits innumerable.

Ghosts riding upon the spiritual winds, in chariots carried by the spectral corpses of horses, or flying of their own power with the lower body of a snake, they poured from the gate like a wave of ectoplasm onto the earth. Their screams not of fear, but of suffering and anger, an aspect that would dredge up fear in even the bravest of hearts. Seeing the dead swarm out of their tombs in such numbers, and with such energy in contrast to their un-life was horrific.

Even the Beastmen and their mercenary allies could not keep their cohesion against such unearthly horrors.

One by one, the spirits tore into the Beastmen with a vengeance that only the dead and disembodied could offer. Their spiritual weapons weaved through the material armaments of the Beastmen and struck at their very soul, taking away their lives in an instant.

Their armor did not protect them, and even the strongest Giants were not immune to this effect, as their lumbering forms fell to the ground, crushing a score of lesser Demi-Humans.

Flying and gliding past and through the Demi-Humans, the spirits continued to strike at the Beastmen until only a scant few remained.

Malcrox and his Magic Casters huddled against each other, their magic doing little to harm or deter the spirits, but the spirits none the less stayed clear of the Magic Casters.

Graham approached the trembling Beastmen, not one bit bothered by the spirits flying around him, and in fact they were taking the effort to avoid him entirely, giving him a wide berth as they passed near him.

Sensing the approach of the Human, if he could be called that, Malcrox fell to his digitigrade knees in prostration.

"Please! I beg of you, oh powerful one," Malcrox pleaded, his cadre mimicking his actions. "Spare me! I will give all I have, even the lives of my underlings, but please allow-"

Graham suddenly appeared in front of the kneeling Beastmen. Grabbing Malcrox's head in a tight grip that had him squealing and yipping in panic, Graham casted his information extraction spell **[Liberate Mind]** and saw everything he needed to see.

The location of the Beastman Nation, the strength of the Magic Casters that they had to offer, and the relative power of most warriors compared to Yggdrasil.

It wasn't that impressive.

Most of the Magic Casters could only cast first tier magic, and only a handful of individuals could cast above the third tier. Even then their magic power was only equivalent to around level twenty or less.

The only ones who may have been beyond level thirty was a Beast Lord named Qhavish and the Beast King of the Beastman Nation.

Beyond those two, the remaining Beastmen couldn't have been over level twenty or twenty-five.

As Graham exited the mind of Malcrox, he saw that his spell had been too much for the Magic Caster. His entire body had been turned to stone due to the monumental difference in power between himself and Graham.

It was only a seventh-tier spell, but apparently it worked on the principal of destroying the opponent's body and mind. Good to know, he shouldn't use higher tier magic on people he needed to keep alive.

Dispassionately, Graham leveled his opposite arm at Malcrox's stoned corpse before silently casting **[Flame Wave]** upon it. Blasting the Beastman's petrified body into ashes, and subsequently killing all the remaining Beastmen huddled behind the statue, the golden flames subsumed the bodies in nova hot fire.

Only ashes and scorched earth remained as the fire died out.

All around Graham the sounds of battle died out as the Beastmen and their forces were wiped out by the Specters. Once the last Demi-Human was killed, the ghostly beings flew back into the gates they had come from, the souls of their victims in tow.

Soon only Graham remained in the ruined battlefield as he looked past the piles and piles of bodies. Seeing that everything in the Beastman army had been killed, Graham summoned several Iron Giants to clean up the bodies by disposing of them in mass graves, or by burning them with fire magic.

Graham recalled that in Yggdrasil, more in the lore than the actual gameplay, whenever a massive army was defeated and left for dead without a grave, their spirits would roam the earth seeking revenge. Zombies, Death Knights, Pale Riders and even Overlords could form from an unchecked pile of corpses left in the open.

Even if that didn't happen in this world it would still be a good idea to at least burry or burn the bodies, mostly to prevent the spread of disease, and to make sure no one just stumbled on a massive pile of dead.

That would be tough to explain.

With nothing left but to let the Iron Giants clean up the bodies, Graham headed back to the city to report on his… venture.

_Damn it. Am I just going to be killing whatever comes my way?_

999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

When trying to conjure the image of a ruling monarch, an emperor, or a leader who is inspiring to the people, most think of strong-willed women and men of justice and virtue. Those whose presence exudes power and respect, people who have the experience to lead their nation across hell while having the fortitude to never back down themselves.

It is always of those who have the determination to push on in the worst circumstances rather than to succumb to the wills of others. Strength of not only body but of sound and dependable mind. An iron will that was built from the top of a mountainous presence, solidified by the stability of a broad and wide-reaching mental foundation.

Most rulers could only hope to achieve one or two such claims, and even then, they are often enough mad men given to greatness. Too often are rulers given prestige based not on merit or their contribution, but on the number of corpses left behind from their crusades and witch hunts.

When such leaders are given power, those beneath and beside them either suffer, or bend their necks in forced servitude.

But there are still those whose charisma attracts others not by fear or mad ambition, but by their ideals. Their wisdom in seeing tyrants fall can mold them to become gentler to their allies, they sympathize with their fellowmen and learn the importance of trust. They also know trust can easily be broke and are weary of just how many of their subjects they place their trust in.

To no surprise, in more peaceful eras it was corruption and vice that often-plagued leaders and their courts. In war it was pride and glory, to achieve victory for their home and to plunder their enemies for goods and coin. Even in defeat and loss, fear and suspicion can fuel the fire for an already crumbling nation.

Such was a similar fate for the Dragon Kingdom.

Isolated from its allies, ravaged by savage, man eating monsters and slowly dying from a lack of resources and military presence, the Dragon Kingdoms rich history seemed to be coming to an end.

From the very beginning, the cards had been stacked against the kingdom and its forces. The Beastmen had rushed them in taking over three of their cities in mere months. While not a weak nation by itself, the Dragon Kingdom lacked the resources of Re-Estize Kingdom, they did not have the elite forces of Baharuth or Roble, and they certainly didn't have the power of the Slane Theocracy.

They were forced to slowly rot in the corner of the continent as their lands were pillaged and taken from them. The Theocracy and Empire sent aid to assist them in driving out the Beastmen, but these were only piecemeal tokens of pity.

Both the Empire and Theocracy bordered the Dragon Kingdom, and if the Beastmen were to overrun the kingdom they would likely head to both neighboring countries.

But until the Dragon Kingdom truly fell, both nations were adamant in sending only what they could spare. Meaning they sent them either the weakest and least experienced of their forces, or they sent smaller divisions that couldn't possibly affect the outcome of a battle.

In short, they were buying time by using the Dragon Kingdom as a barrier by prolonging its steady decline. By the time the Beastmen broke through that barrier, both the Empire and Theocracy would both be prepared to retaliate against the Beastmen.

All at the price of the Dragon Kingdom.

A price that Queen Draudillon Oriculus was all too aware of.

"Your highness?"

Snapping out of her partial sleep, Queen Draudillon looked towards the voice of her Prime Minister.

Standing aside her throne with a disapproving look, he nudged his eyes towards the small crowd below her.

Various Lords and Ladies from the Dragon Kingdom's lands were gathered below her feet, as well as several of her military advisors and council men. All those present were attending for the express purpose of driving back the Beastman threat and securing a victory for the kingdom.

Easier said than done.

Putting on her… face, Draudillon spoke towards the conglomeration of nobles before her.

"Sorry~, I got a little sleepy." Using her childish voice and her childish attitude to its advantage, the slightly tense atmosphere in the room abated as all in attendance paused to admire the wholesome innocence of their beloved Queen.

Draudillon wanted to stab them all in the gut.

_Gods, anyone, please just strike me down now. I can't take playing this absurd role._ Inside her own mind, the Dragon Queen was writhing in agony at the way she was forced to behave.

It was all for the good of her people and kingdom, that was the only thought that kept her from transforming into her real body and shocking the flock of aristocracy under her. Just like a flock of wild geese, all honking and waving their preened feathers around the room in some ridiculous dance of chaos and confusion.

Her Prime Minister's gaze told her she would be doing no such thing.

That made her quite sad. She would have paid to see that.

"Of course, your majesty. We understand how taxing this is to do so much in so little time." One of her council men, his name she forgot either due to stress, drinking, or just because he wasn't that important.

She couldn't for the life of her remember.

"Indeed, your majesty. We are all invested in your well being as loyal subjects and will do anything to ease your discomfort. Of course, even we can only do so much given the circumstances." A noble from somewhere in the west, what's his name or something.

She didn't give a crap.

"Quite right your highness. If you were to fall ill, or worse, our entire nation would be devastated, to say nothing of your loyal soldiers and the peasantry." Yet another noble, one of the Generals, who was not out on the front lines risking his life, droned on in a dramatic tone.

The other nobles nodded in agreement with their peer's statements, some even shouting "here here" or gently tapping a handkerchief to their eyes as if they were crying.

She would have to respond appropriately without trying to beat their heads inside out at the unintentional, but still greatly annoying attitudes her nobles were displaying towards her child form.

_Ugh_…

Prepping her self against her throne, taking in a deep breath while closing her eyes, she focused with all her might before…

"Okay~, thank you for helping me with all the super hard stuff! It makes me really happy that I have all my friends here, and that we can help everyone else too!"

The group of nobles beamed at her praise, many of them making "aww" noises while others were blushing in self-satisfaction. None of them even seemed to question the logic of a child, as if their innocence alone was enough to rule the world and solve all problems.

Even her Generals, at least some of whom were competent and serious with the war, couldn't help but bask in the praise of their Queen. It honestly looked as if her air headed words were physically empowering those around her.

_Kill me. _

Did they not have some semblance of individual will? Was everyone so fooled by her disguise that they couldn't help but believe that a child could do what a full-grown adult should?

Were her people just mad or insane?!

Another disturbing part of her mind reminded her that several of the men, and even a handful of women, gave subtle indications of having more…_physical_ inclinations toward her child form.

Her skin crawled at the idea, especially when it brought back memories of a certain Adamantite Adventurer.

She could almost feel her stomach twist in knots when recalling that man's face. While a great warrior, he was anything but a good person.

_Eugh, I need to take a bath after this. That man brings the most disgusting atmosphere with him, not to mention how he keeps staring at me. Even in front of my own damn subjects, its unbelievable! _

While having her internal struggle with her subject's affection for her, her face remained stuck in an eternal smile. Not once did her doll like appearance break nor did her eyes wander away from the crowd.

She needed to pay as much attention as possible regardless of her dilemma.

She was Queen of her kingdom. Age would never take that away from her or change it.

"Our adorable Queen is the pinnacle of cuteness!"

_FUCKING KILL ME ALREADY! _

"Yes, all very good," Her Prime Minister rolled his eyes, acknowledging his own exasperations with the nobles. "My Lords and Ladies if I might redirect your attention for a moment."

The Prime Minister's words brought the mood back down to earth as the various nobles and high ranked officials settled down. All of them now taking their gaze away from the Queen and to the Prime Minister, Draudillon could finally breathe with some relief.

But she was also curious. This meeting had been called rather suddenly, and even though she knew her Prime Minister to be cold and unempathetic, he was always honest and forthright in his efforts to assist her and the kingdom.

So why hadn't he met with her beforehand to discuss the topic of today?

"We have recently received a message from the eastern most city of Agosvale," The Prime Minister spoke towards the nobles and Draudillon. "Its contents are rather… difficult to put into words."

This drew whispers and raised eyebrows from the crowd. All those present were well aware of the Prime Ministers attitude and disposition, of how blunt and frank he was with everything he did.

To hear him speak with such uncertainty was strange, even to Draudillon who was now leaning on her throne to better listen to the man.

"The message stated that Agosvale had been attacked only recently by a contingent of Beastmen numbering around ten thousand."

_Oh gods. Please not another. _

"The defenders took heavy casualties in the after math, even their General and most of his subordinates were killed in an ambush. Among those still alive, only a Commander Welheart was suited to taking charge of the remnants of the forces in Agosvale."

The room chilled at the news. Loosing men was unpleasant, though it had become almost common place to hear about hundreds dying in the recent battles.

But to hear that a General and his retinue had been killed? That brought about a greater fear.

_No. _Draudillon whimpered in her mind.

"The Beastmen were able to be beaten back however. From the letter's contents, it appears that a Magic Caster unaffiliated with any kingdom or the Guilds saved the city. While their name was not stated in the missive, we know only that this Magic Caster is a man."

…_oh._

Looking around her court, the various men and women had begun to mutter about this change in fortune. A mysterious man coming to save one of their cities in its most desperate hour?

Poetic.

"We received this missive recently from Commander Welheart, as his signature and stamp all match up with out records."

So it was real. Good to know the Beastmen hadn't used subversion tactics on her messaging network. Hopefully it would stay that way.

"More recently however, we received another missive from the same city."

Oh? What could th-

"Forty thousand Beastmen led by a Beast Lord by the name of Qhorn, which according to our sources is the third strongest of the Beastmen, was heading towards Agosvale a day after it repelled the initial Beastman invasion."

Saying that you could have heard a pin drop would be like saying a sword was mildly annoying when lodged into one's chest.

The entire court was gob smacked. Forty thousand Beastmen in a single location was more than any of the frontline Generals could handle. To combat something of that size they would need at lest twenty or more Generals and their forces, that would be without including a Beastman like Qhorn, who could require thousands of ordinary soldiers to defeat.

Draudillon felt like she was going to cry.

How many more of her city's would have to become food for those damn monsters? How was the Dragon Kingdom expected to defeat such a foe?

It all seemed so hopeless, what was the point of trying to keep up her façade if her people were doomed?

Whether he understood the effects of his words, or if he didn't care, the Prime Minister began to speak once more after allowing his words to soak in.

"We received one final missive only a day after the first arrived. Contrary to what was expected … the entire Beastman army was annihilated to the last."

_Wait what?_

"The letter was once more signed and written by Commander Welheart who reported that the city took no damage from the invading army. It does not provide details of what happened, nor does it say who achieved this feat, only that the city is repairing."

_That is… I haven't heard such good news in such a long time. _Draudillon was too shocked to give a proper reply to that.

"Furthermore, Commander Welheart has requested that one of his subordinates be allowed entry to the capital to assist in explaining the situation, and to have a meeting with her majesty."

Looking to the Prime Minister Draudillon could see that there was more to his statement. He was omitting some details, bending the truth for some reason.

She needed to hear this subordinate of Commander Welheart and learn the truth of what was happening in Agosvale.

Oh, right. They were all waiting for her response.

_Ugh. _

"Yay, that's really great! We should have them come over as soon as possible, if that's ok with everyone!" The ensemble to her feet beamed at her response.

Draudillon almost vomited in her mouth.

999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

Chapter done. More plot introduced. New and not new characters given the spotlight.

Nothing too much to say, just an update to Graham's character sheet.

**Character Sheet**

**Name:** Graham

**Race:** Human

**Position:** Allied to Agosvale

**Residence:** Currently: Agosvale, Dragon Kingdom

**Titles:** Yggdrasil- [The Human that Scares Monsters, He Who Can Not Be Named, The Unsung Hero]

New World- [Stranger, True Destroyer of Beastmen]

**Level:** 100

**Racial Levels:** N/A

**Job Levels:**

Traveler (?)

Lost One (?)

Slayer (?)

Human Armageddon (?)

Follower of Soteria (10)

Apostle of Heimdall (5)

**Alignment:** Good (+500 Karma)

**Stats**

**HP: **Unknown

**MP: **Unknown

**Physical Attack: **Unknown

**Physical Defense: **Unknown

**Agility: **Unknown

**Magical Attack: **Unknown

**Magical Defense: **Unknown

**Resistance: **Unknown

**Special: **Unknown

Oh! I decided to make a little character sheet of Qhorn because why not.

**Character Sheet**

**Name:** Qhorn

**Race:** Demi-Human, Beastman

**Position:** Beast Lord of the Beastman Nation

**Residence:** The Beastman Nation

**Titles:** Beast Lord, The Third Horn

**Level:** 32

**Racial Levels:**

Beastman (?)

Beastlord(?)

**Job Levels:**

Warrior(?)

Fighter(?)

Champion(?)

**Alignment:** -300 (Evil)


	4. Chapter 4

When traveling past the country side, one could not help but appreciate the natural beauty of the outside world.

To see the vast stretches of land, the planes full of long grass and wandering animals, the forests topped with leaves slowly turning an orangish-yellow color as winter approached, and even the mountain and skies with their white topped peaks and clouds. The wind tasted of fresh grass and cooled air, like a subtle perfume on the hem of a shirt.

Sun light peaked through the carriage traveling across the lightly paved dirt road. As two horses pulled at the simple looking contraption, its inhabitants were busy making entertainment for themselves.

"I spy… something orange."

"…is it the leaves?"

"Yep."

Graham sighed in boredom. Trying to entertain himself and Tagar in a moving box was more difficult than he initially thought.

Tagar seemed to resign himself to the boredom, maybe being more accustomed to traveling by horse and carriage as a soldier.

Graham couldn't help but envy his patience.

After returning to the city and telling Commander Welheart about what he did, the Commander immediately went to un-evacuating the city. While it was exhausting to everyone involved, especially the soldiers and Adventurers, it didn't take long for everything to settle down before the people of the Agosvale could start, for the second time, to rebuild their city. That had been only a couple days ago, before Graham and Tagar had been ordered to go to the capital of the kingdom to report to the Queen.

Well, Tagar had been ordered. Graham was asked in a very polite, and not too subtle hint that it was important, tone by the Commander. Small differences.

Graham had been adamant in staying in Agosvale to make sure the city wouldn't go through another crisis without his help. Welheart agreed that Agosvale needed him, but he also reminded him that denying a summon by the Queen of their nation was considered treason. Graham didn't owe loyalty to the Queen or her court, but Welheart and Agosvale would both be in deep for denying a sovereign rulers order.

Welheart also pointed out that if Graham wanted to help protect Agosvale even if he couldn't be there, he could perhaps summon several other creatures to help with the city's defenses. So, with some experimentation, and by utilizing trees from the local forests, rocks from the hills and mountains, even clay and dirt from the very ground, Graham brought to life twenty more Ancient Treemen, several Massive Stone Golems, and a small company of Terracotta Soldiers.

The Ancient Treemen were the exact same as the first four he had summoned, and the city now had a total of two dozen of them. Massive Stone Golems were, obviously, house sized Golems that were slightly more than double the size of the Treemen. They were about level 80 and were like siege engines more suited to taking damage while damaging structures with their slow but powerful attacks.

The Terracotta Soldiers were around the size of an average human, but they looked like a clay human. The Soldiers were lower leveled than the Treemen and Dryads because Graham wanted Agosvale to have the numbers to cover their territory, thus he sacrificed quality for quantity in creating them. The company of about three hundred were level 50 on average, with the company commander being level 55. Their only notable ability was **Comradery**, a skill that boosted their allies and provided them defensive bonuses.

He briefly considered summoning a Dragon, since it was the _Dragon_ Kingdom, but thought better of it just incase other Dragons were nearby and took offense to another of their kind popping into existence.

Even in Yggdrasil, Dragons were territorial to an extreme. He didn't want to take a chance in this new world and place the inhabitants of Agosvale in danger.

Well, more danger than they were already in, but that's besides the point.

Graham also insisted on helping Agosvale repair, even if only for a little while. Welheart wasn't one to say no to more help, and he still had a few days before he needed to consider having Graham head towards the capital, and in the Commanders own words; 'Fuck it, you've done more for the city than we could. May as well do the rest.'

For two days Graham helped to remove broken and burned buildings from the city, trying to put up tents and other temporary abodes for the citizens, and did his best to get ready for his eventual leave to the capital.

He was surprised that the people had finally warmed up to him. He remembered how a Baker had hugged him out of nowhere for having saved his home and his sons, how a Seamstress and her sisters had kissed him on the cheeks for stopping the Beastmen, even how a couple of children had come up to him and thanked him for not letting the big bad monsters hurt their mothers and fathers.

Graham would deny having blushed and cried at that last part. Totally didn't cry.

Eventually, Graham yielded to Welheart's request to go to the capital, even agreeing to use a more typical means of transportation rather than teleporting to the capital. Though even if he did teleport, he had no way of knowing exactly where he would end up since going by map rather than memory would be less accurate.

Making an impression on the Queen wouldn't be easy if he accidentally teleported into her bathroom or bedroom. Or anyone else's for that matter.

So here he was, traveling with Tagar and several other men to the kingdom's capital in a small carriage. He'd been in it for more than a day, and they only stopped to rest for the horses and to have a quick meal at some local village or hamlet.

Oddly enough, Graham hadn't eaten anything on the entire trip. In fact, he hadn't eaten or drank anything since he arrived in the Agosvale.

He hadn't slept either. Since his stats in Yggdrasil were so high, did that translate to the new world by having less of a need to eat and sleep? Or was it something else about his character and the classes he had? Apostle of Heimdall might have something to do with it, its description did imply that the user was closer to a demigod in some respects.

Then again it could be his more powerful classes, like So-

"Graham? You alright?"

Graham fidgeted before looking at Tagar sitting parallel to him on the other side of the carriage.

"Sorry. Just thinking about the trip. Meeting the Queen and all." Graham quietly replied.

"Yeah I guess it is a lot to take in," Tagar nodded while smiling. "I've never met the Queen myself, but I have heard many things about her."

"Like what?" Graham asked, genuinely interested in this nameless Queen.

"Well, do you know what her name is?"

Graham scratched the back of his head, awkwardly averting his gaze from Tagar.

Tagar chuckled at his attempt to avoid the question.

"Her name is Queen Draudillon Oriculus. She's the monarch of our kingdom and the descendent of the Brightness Dragon Lord." Tagar stated casually.

Graham blinked at that last part.

A descendant of a Dragon Lord? Was she a hybrid then? Was it symbolic or literal? Who is this Dragon Lord?

"Wait, you mean a Dragon and a Human… did _that_ and… you know…," Graham made several gestures with his hands to indicate what he meant. "How…how does that even work? I mean the difference in size alone would make it impossible, never mind how a reptile and mammal could have kids!?"

Tagar looked at Graham, confused and uncertain of how to answer his question.

"Uh, well I don't know myself. But perhaps when we see the Queen we can ask her?" Tagar recommended.

Graham considered it.

Then he considered that this was the Queen's ancestor they were talking about. Sex with Dragons and Humans. That would be… awkward to say the least.

"Maybe… but for now, what else can you tell me about Queen Draudillon?" Graham waved back at Tagar. He was growing more curious about her especially knowing her Dragon lineage.

Tagar told him of what he and many of the common folk knew about their Queen. Far from being some all-powerful and oppressive ruler, like most were prone to being, she was regarded as incredibly sympathetic to her peoples plights and was given praise on her handling of the situation, even when it was obvious the Dragon Kingdom had lost so much to the Beastmen. From Tagars perspective the Queen was an intelligent woman with a knack for political unity amongst her people. The Dragon Kingdom hadn't survived for around two hundred years by fighting itself. This also gave Graham some insight into how the citizens of the kingdom saw themselves and their nation.

They were proud of it. Simple as that. Who wouldn't be, they were ruled by a royal family with direct blood ties to one of the most powerful races in the entire world.

Well, that Graham was aware of at the time. Who knew what laid beyond the borders of the known world.

But speaking of time…

"How much longer do we have until we're at the capital?" Graham asked while Tagar was pausing in his explanations.

"Not much longer. We made good heading when we left Agosvale and the weather has been kind to us," Tagar looked outside at them on traveling with them on horseback. "The horses just need some rest in the next hour, after that it's a straight shot to the capital. Should only be half a day's travel."

Graham sighed. More time on the road and more time in the box.

Yay…

…

"Tagar."

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell me about yourself?"

Tagar blinked at the sudden question.

"Uh… sure. What do you want to know?" Tagar was surprised that Graham would want to know anything about him. Given that the man was incredibly powerful, he doubted he would need to associate himself with someone of low ranking like Tagar.

"Where did you grow up as a child, in Agosvale?" Graham assumed.

Tagars face fell slightly and his eyes averted to outside the window.

_Crap. I had to go with the one question that would make him miserable. Nice job Graham, why not ask him if his dead girlfriend can help us out huh? Or maybe his evil step mother? Why not his estranged father and dead dog._

Graham wanted to travel back in time and smack himself in the back of his head. He didn't want to make it a boring _and_ miserable ride to the capital. Especially not for Tagar, the guy had stood up for him when he first helped Agosvale and allowed him some time to himself.

He was the first person he got to speak to after the first battle, and he vouched for Graham to Commander Welheart. It may have been unnecessary, given that he saved the city, but it still meant a lot that he would be willing to speak out to his superiors on his behalf.

That…really touched him.

He really liked the guy too. He was a good honest worker, and he was a real people person. Hell, he was a Captain, so he had to have some people's skill to work with others under his command. It was hard not to see why, the guy liked cracking jokes and rubbing elbows with his friends, he was blunt but kind with his words, and he just exuded the presence of someone you want to be around.

He was everyone's older brother.

_Just like sis._

"Actually, I grew up in the western part of the Dragon Kingdom." Graham stood ram rod straight in surprise. He forgot that he asked Tagar his question.

"O-oh. Really?" Graham sputtered.

"Yeah, I joined the military several years ago," Tagar nodded. "I was deployed to the east just recently with Commander Welheart because of the Beastmen."

Graham nodded in response, becoming more interested in the story.

"What was home for you like in the west?" Graham inquired.

Tagar adopted a thinking pose, hand under his chin and eyes looking upward.

"Like most places I guess. My family isn't rich or particularly influential, and the town I grew up in is known for its honeyed hams and bitter mead," Tagar spoke warmly, as if he had just seen his childhood home just yesterday. "My father was in the military but retired a decade ago, long before the Beastmen invaded. He has connections with some of his old drinking buddies who are still donning the armor, but we keep to ourselves for the most part. These days he should be helping mom with her glass figures."

"Glass figures? Does she make glass pots and stuff?" Graham leaned in closer to hear Tagars response.

"Sometimes. She mostly designs glass figures and shapes, some for local shops in the town, others for lesser nobles throughout the realm. She's brilliant with it too! She can make a figure of wolves, Dragons, or individual people. Not to mention all the colors she can use."

Graham sat and listened to Tagar wax lyrics about his family and their daily life. How Tagar would go out with his younger sisters and brothers, poke and prod some of the farm animals before dawn and get scolded by their parents for not doing their chores for the day. He listened as Tagar spoke of the honey mead they would have on holidays, how his father would bake sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon, how his aunt's and uncles would tell tall tales of Giants and Dragons doing battle, or of tricksters fooling Demons.

He told him of how hard it was during the winter months, when food was scarce for all and the chill bit at their bones even in the comfort of the hearth.

He winced about how he had once tried to woo a young village girl only to have her father chase him out in anger.

He graphed out how his home was between two rivers, had several excellent spots for farming crops in the spring and summer, how the idyllic and small forests that were spotted around his old home were home to small fox like creatures that could be tamed as pets.

Tagar told Graham all of this. Graham sat in rapture, listening to his new friend and his stories about home. He laughed at the hilarious adventures, smiled at the normalness of his life, gave sympathetic nods to how his family dealt with their losses, and above all he listened with eyes forward and head cleared.

Graham's eyes were as calm and clear as a pond at rest. The golden threads like still water over the hazel bedrock.

Graham felt something he hadn't felt since coming to this world. Something that he longed for after the hectic battles, the confusion and uncertainty of his location, and all the general fear of being lost.

Content. Warm. Among like minded people.

He felt welcome.

999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

Just as Tagar had said, it took almost half a day for their little party to arrive at the capital of the Dragon Kingdom.

Lumin, city of the Brightness Dragon Lord and the capital of the Dragon Kingdom. Home to the royal family and residence to a substantial portion of its military. With a history as rich and deep as the kingdom it represented it was a major hub of trading in goods, magic, and international negotiations. Its architecture reflected its ancient status of over two hundred years of human history while paying homage to the Dragon who had helped to establish it. Whether intentional or by chance, the city was centered around a geographically advantageous location, nestled between rough terrain, forests, and rivers that prevented any large armies from mounting an attack without having to go wade through the various terrain.

Taking full advantage of its natural defenses Lumin had multiple outposts and fortresses constructed around its holdings, further enhancing its already formidable location and allowing its forces an easier method of movement across its lands with checkpoints and refueling stations.

In short, Lumin was a near impenetrable location to any large-scale invasions.

Graham was happy not to have to go through them. That wouldn't be fun for any one.

After arriving at the third checkpoint, verifying their documents _again_, and waiting for the guards to give them the green light, they had arrived at the capital proper.

Going into the city, Graham could see the stark contrast between the capital and Agosvale. The pathways of the city were better paved, many of the buildings were older but made of stronger material like stone and brick instead of wood and clay brick, and the density of people was enough that their carriage could barely get by without almost crashing into a small crowd of onlookers.

The people that he saw outside the carriage were more varied than in Agosvale. Different styles of clothing and accessories, skin tones and facial features, and a clearer division between high class and lower class as they went deeper into the city's center.

Then they came up on the center of the city. The palace of the royal family and the main attraction of Lumin.

It was massive.

Well, compared to Agosvale it was massive. Compared to Earth, it was very beautiful with the marble white structures surrounding it, the Dragon statues as well as the large garden with various flowers and bushes surrounding it.

Still not the largest man-made structure Graham had ever seen, but still impressive given the difference in technological capabilities.

An hour later Graham and Tagar found themselves bereft of their escort and waiting for the ok to enter the Queens presence.

Tagar, awesome guy he was, looked only a bit nervous at the prospect of meeting his nations ruler. He would shuffle around and tug at his collar, part of a nice-looking military uniform he had changed into after they had arrived, but other wise kept his cool while standing at the entrance of the chamber.

Graham wished he could say he did the same. That he kept his cool and was not a nervous wreck with the idea of meeting a living breathing Queen.

Sadly, this was not what Graham was.

"Okay so, should I bow when I enter and see the Queen, or do I take a kneel at her throne? Should I make eye contact or is that illegal here, I mean it's understandable given the period and the laws made in a medieval era system especially given how strict everything is because of the need for a division of classes and nobility. Not to mention how important it is to establish the hierarchy to make it more effective in making decisions and stuff, plus there are monsters and Heteromorphs that are just terrifying to the majority of Humans so it would make sense that a strict order of rank would need to be established and I mean it wasn't all that uncommon in Earth so it stands to reason that presenting myself would be super important for the first time that-"

"Graham?"

"Yes yeah, what-no, I am… yes!"

"You don't have to panic, just follow my lead ok?"

"Uh… yeah, got it."

Tagar sighed. Graham was a strange man in many ways. He was unbelievably powerful, able to summon powerful monsters and constructs without a second thought, yet here he was panicking at his presentation to a Queen.

It was a _little_ funny seeing it happen, but Tagar only felt slightly guilty at the expense of Graham given how strong he was, he could likely do whatever he wanted with so few who can stop him. Well, any Human that is. A Dragon Lord might be strong enough to defeat him, but Tagar had never seen a Dragon, let alone one of the ancient Dragon Lords, so it was difficult to compare the two.

Tagar took a glance back at Graham to see him fiddling with his fingers and his eyes going back and forth between the large set of Dragon decorated doors and the hallway around them. Somehow, Graham had changed into a sleek and color complementary dress outfit. Decorated with golden embroidery in the shape of leaves and vines, the navy blue and storm grey dress was sharpest at the shoulders and gave way to a loose flowing robe as it went down to the feet. His boots had been replaced with squared off dress shoes that shined a glossy black. His pants were a grey color like his robe, though without the golden embroidery.

When inquiring as to how Graham had changed with such speed and without a changing room, he gave the most appropriate answer Tagar could have hoped.

"Magic."

Of course. What else could it have been.

Tagar chuckled at the recent memory. Graham was an odd one yes, but he was truthful in his words and actions, and he was earnest in his desire to help others. That said more about him than many of the other people Tagar had met.

"I'm going to get yelled at."

"No, you're not."

"I am going to get yelled at by a Queen."

"You are not going to get yelled at by the Queen."

"Then I'm going to get imprisoned, become a criminal, and then get executed!"

"You are not going to get- wait, why would you get executed?"

"For not staring properly!"

"…what?"

"I don't know!"

Sigh. Still worrying over nothing.

It wasn't long before the duo was addressed by one of the Queen's servants that they could enter the Queen's throne room.

Tugging at his robe and fumbling with his sleeves, Graham walked beside Tagar as they entered the Queen's domain.

Opening in a not so ominous manner, the double door to the throne room shifted inward to reveal the interior of the room to Graham and Tagar. Lavish, decorated, opulent, all words that could summarize the sight that was presented to the two travelers. Beneath their feet laid a royal red rug that unfurled down to the throne. On each side of said rug was no less than a dozen men in full plate armor, each one more armored and decorated than Commander Welheart and twice as shiny.

Down towards the throne itself, various members of the Queen entourage could be seen. Tagar only recognized some of the Generals present, but he knew that the man standing on the left of the throne had to be the Prime Minister. The others nearest the feet of the throne were either nobles or advisers to the Queen, and there also appeared to be some representatives from the Church of The Four Gods.

Tagar hadn't expected so many powerful nobles this early in the day, but he was prepared for it after Welheart gave him a… fair estimation of what he needed to do.

"Bow, say your honored, kiss their ass, then profit from your ass kissing. Works when my superiors need some support, probably going to work for you."

Commander Welheart was a very blunt person at times. And foul mouthed. And of a less pleasant disposition than most.

But he wasn't stupid, and Tagar was content to have his advice no matter how simple minded it was.

Stopping at the end of the rug, Tagar took a kneel with right arm crossed over right knee and bowed his head. Graham took a moment to notice his companions' position, but quickly did the same.

Hearing the rest of the Queen's court take a bow, the sound of light footsteps tapping on the floor echoed across the silent hall.

With his head bowed and eyes staring at the pristine floor, Graham couldn't make out who was walking across the hall, but he could feel that from the vibrations from the ground, the displacement of air and particles around him, and the sound of heels clicking on the floor that whoever it was had to be very short. Very short and not at all the weight class of an adult.

But something else was nipping at his nose and senses.

Something familiar and new.

Some type of power that he instinctively recognized but couldn't form the words to describe.

What was it? Who was this small person?

As the individual drew closer to the front of the room, and eventually sat down upon the throne, the Prime Minister spoke up on behalf of the Queen.

"All may rise in the presence of her majesty, Queen Draudillon Oriculus."

Raising their heads alongside the others within the throne room, both Tagar and Graham were given their first looks at the Queen of the Dragon Kingdom.

"Thank you Mr. Minister, it's great to see everyone today!"

The Queen of the Dragon Kingdom cheered at her court, waving around her hand like a child in a carnival trying to choose their food.

"…" Graham blinked while staring at the child Queen.

_Excuse me but whaaaaat?_

Tagar had a similar expression on his face, though yet again, his composure was more focused and composed. He had known that the Queen was young, so it wasn't a surprise that she wasn't an adult. But to see that she was a child, younger than his youngest sister?

Not what he expected.

"Indeed, your majesty. We are your loyal subjects and we shall always be at your beck and call." The Prime Minister spoke, ignoring the looks of both guests and the Queen's party of noble men and women.

"Thaaaanks!~" Queen Draudillon answered in apparent joy.

As the court got underway into addressing their own members, Graham was left more confused than ever.

_This can't seriously be the Queen, right? I mean… she's so young and puny. This is so weird. Also, what's with her party's reaction? Some of them looked like they sucked on a sugar stick they were so happy. Weird…_

Lost in his own mind Graham cut himself off from any stimuli from the outside world.

_That energy I felt back there, it was from the… Queen. She's barely up to my waist but I swear she has more power in her arm than most of the other spell users I've seen in this world. But it's also different from anything in my… uh, Yggdrasil. That wasn't Tier Magic, but it felt familiar. Why? How?_

Graham vaguely heard the crowd to his front finish speaking before addressing Tagar and himself.

_Does this mean Tier Magic isn't the only type of magic that exists? Makes more sense since it's an alternate world, of course it wouldn't be the exact same as Yggdrasil. But what relation does it have to Yggdrasil magic, what can it do that Yggdrasil magic can't? Can it… bypass defenses or nullify other magics. _

Graham vaguely heard a voice beside him speak, though when he was so deep in thought, he could only distinguish it from the other voices due to its proximity. It was more distracting than helpful.

_Why is it so familiar? How many other types of magic exist out there? I know the Queen has Dragon blood in her, whatever that implies, but why does her magic feel so alien and so familiar? _

_Damnit, I wish there was some way to-_

The voice to his side became slightly louder.

_All this…stuff, urg, it's so messed up I just-_

The voice became louder, disrupting his train of thought.

_Just why the freaking hell is this-_

Louder. Voice.

_If I could just __**focus**__-_

"Sir Graham?" A petit voice rang out.

"**WHAT?!"** Graham's voice rang out loud throughout the hall, making all present flinch in unison at the reverberation of his yell.

Taking a moment to calm down Graham looked around the room, then he remembered he was in the Queen's throne room.

And in the Queen's presence.

_Oh. Crap. Who did I just scream at again?_

Glancing to his right at Tagar, he could see his friend was giving what he could only describe as the most fearful, frustrated, and 'are you serious' look at himself.

He wasn't wrong in doing it, but it didn't help Graham's nerves.

Looking forward he could see that the Queen's countrymen had recovered from his unexpected outcry and were understandably pissed. Even the guards in front and behind him were tensing up, griping their weapons in preparation of an attack on their Queen. Not that he was planning

The only one's who weren't steaming their heads off or unsheathing swords were the Queen and her Prime Minister. The Queen looked surprised but far from angry, more like she was in shock that someone had raised their voice in her presence. The Prime Minister looked more curious than anything, as if Graham's actions were noteworthy for whatever reason.

Graham tried to remember who it was that he yelled at.

It wasn't Tagar, he knew his voice was deeper than the lighter tone that addressed him.

It wasn't that Prime Minister either. Sounded too young.

The nobles? No, they were too old too.

…

_Oh. Tell me I didn't._

Graham leaned towards Tagar slightly

"So…uh…who do I have to apologize to now?" Graham whispered to his frustrated friend. Tagar, bless his heart, didn't have the nerve to speak just yet, but nudged his eyes to their front.

To the throne. To the young child on it.

_Ah. Yep, I'm dead. _

"Err… I mean… what… do you need?" Graham struggled to spit out while cracking a smile a bit too wide.

Queen Draudillon looked to almost be in shock at what had happened. While having a guest stare at her child form in confusion was expected, likely unaware that the Queen of the Dragon Kingdom was so young, though she was far from it, none had ever been so…verbose and loud in her presence.

She wasn't mad. Honestly it was more surprising than irritating given her courts obsession with her child form.

Hell, this was almost comedically entertaining, watching the poor young man flustering in his attempts to calm himself and those around her.

"It's alright, but that was really loud sir Graham. Could you please not be as loud perhaps?" Draudillon spoke in her childish tone, though she genuinely had no issues with the man herself, his impression on her subordinates wouldn't be as forgiving.

Their obsession with her younger form did cause issues between herself and other powers, mostly because of her court, so it wasn't the first time she was forced into damage control.

"Yeah, no prob." Graham was relieved that he wasn't in the shitter just yet.

Well, with the Queen at least. Her nobles still seemed peeved with him, but it was better then execution or imprisonment. He couldn't complain.

"Perhaps we might come back to the original intent of this gathering," The Prime Minister spoke up, the small jab of annoyance in his voice evident but not malicious. "My Queen, as it is obvious that sir Graham did not hear you the first time, perhaps you would ask of him a second time?"

Ouch. Graham could almost feel the cold in the old man's voice. Talk about icicles in your voice, this guy was like an iceberg slamming on top of him.

Queen Draudillon nodded in the direction of her Prime Minister before turning to address Tagar and Graham.

"Sir Graham, if you wouldn't mind sharing with us, were you the one who saved Agosvale?" She asked.

Graham looked to the Queen, then to Tagar, then to the nobles in attendance.

"Um, sort of. I helped fight off the Beastmen if that's what you mean?" Graham wasn't too sure about where this was going, but he knew that outright confirming that he fought and killed tens of thousands of monsters wasn't a very settling feeling. It would paint a giant red target on him.

But he also didn't lie, since he did help in the fight. Just a little bit more than some others.

The Queen's smile dimmed slightly at his words, but she said nothing of it and continued to speak to him.

"Then thank you very much! I was really scared when I heard about Agosvale being attacked, but it helped to hear that everything was ok after all!" The Queen giddily proclaimed.

Graham scrunched his face in discomfort, both at the Queen and what she said.

If he was being honest with himself, something about the Queen's appearance and attitude was getting to him. Something about it screamed…_off_, like it was absent of something. Maybe he was being paranoid, but given the abnormal magic surrounding her, it was starting to look like she was hiding something.

Something to investigate later.

"I…thank you, your uh, Queenliness." Graham sucked in his desire to question her or correct her assumption that everything was just fine. It wouldn't do anyone, mostly himself, any good if he started arguing with her.

"Your welcome!" She responded in a sugary pitched voice.

_Ugh. Why does that make me feel so gross. Ugh._

Looking at her followers, Graham saw that they had a completely different outlook on their Queen's behavior.

_They seem happy I guess. But why exactly?_

The only one who didn't seem to be impacted by the Queen's words were her Prime Minister with his face a stony and unfeeling front, the lines in his face deeply defined and enhancing the shadows that danced across his eyes and mouth.

"With that being said, if I may address the court and our honorable guests," The Prime Minister cut into the silence left behind by the Queen's expression of gratitude. "This meeting has been established with regards to recent events in the east of our kingdom. More precisely we have gathered to discuss the siege of Agosvale and its miraculous survival."

Graham narrowed his eyes at the Prime Minister as he spoke. Did Welheart inform him of everything he had already told him before the second army of Beastmen attacked? How much did they already know about him or about what happened in Agosvale?

Why call a meeting like this anyways? Graham would have to wait and see how this was going to play out.

"A missive sent by Commander Welheart, the now current overseer of Agosvale under martial law, informed us that thanks to the efforts of our soldiers in the east, the majority of one of the Beastmen armies has been annihilated to the last. All forty thousand of them." The Prime Minister didn't beat around the bush with talking bout how many Beastmen were killed, or about who the letter was sent by.

Those in the court who hadn't been informed were in awe at the news, even those who had already known were still reeling from the unbelievable series of events. Graham and Tagar knew more about it than any of them, but they could still understand how having a massive and unstoppable army being slaughtered to the last would affect others.

The Prime Minister allowed the crowd before him to gasp and whisper among themselves a while longer. Subtly turning to the Queen, his eyes spoke to her in a silent gestor. She responded back by lightly nodding.

"However, this endeavor was not undertaken without the aid of a stranger in their time of need," Clearing his throat the Prime Minister addressed the now confused gathering of nobles. "Commander Welheart informed her majesty that this stranger saved Agosvale not once, but twice and that they not only defeated the first force of Beastmen, but that they also killed a Beast Lord of significant power and influence. Without the aid of magic or martial arts, or magical items."

Now that got a reaction.

Graham looked around to see the noblemen and women abuzz with excitement and utter amazement. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"With such an event transpiring, her highness requested to see this hero in person to give her thanks and to know what his intentions are towards our people." Turning to the Queen, the Prime Minister ceded control of the discussion to Draudillon.

Climbing down from her throne, Queen Draudillon stood before the two travelers and her court.

"In recognition of his deeds and valor, in the defense of our fair kingdom and its people, I Queen Draudillon Oriculus great granddaughter of the Brightness Dragon Lord wish to bestow sir Graham with the Sigil of Protection in honor of his exploits." Queen Draudillon spoke in her high pitch voice, a greater contrast to her eloquent speech and her honest praise.

Seeing the entire hall turn towards him, Graham fidgeted under their collective staring. He didn't do well under pressure or in crowds that were pressuring him.

He sighed, remembering how Guilds in Yggdrasil operated under similar politics.

_This is why I stayed solo. Now look at where I am. _

Once more looking to Tagar for guidance, Graham silently pleaded with his eyes for instructions. Tagar had a flat look on his face, but nudged his eyes upwards, signaling to Graham that he needed to stand before the Queen.

Standing up from his kneeling and walking towards Queen Draudillon, Graham couldn't help but feel something was still off. About the Queen, about the meeting, and about himself.

Looking up at the Queen to her elevated position, Graham could see into her bright eyes and tiny face. He was unnerved by how unnatural she looked, not because she was creepy or anything, but because of how plastic her expression was. Her eyes had a sheen of glossy shine on it.

She looked as if she was barely alive.

"Sir Graham would accept this gift on behalf of our kingdom and its Queen?" Draudillon held a hand out to Graham as a gesture to receive his response.

"…"

As the seconds passed by the court and its attendants could swear that it felt colder.

Graham said nothing but kept staring at Draudillon, no readable expression on his face or the golden waves of his brown eyes.

Even the Queen was showing some signs of discomfort as her face flinched and her brow dipped slightly in discomfort.

While she had had far more uncomfortable gazes upon her child form, Cerebrate being a primary example among them, Graham's gaze was more focused and piercing than those who had more…perverted thoughts in their eyes.

His just looked at her. Looked into her, like her soul was on display for the young man.

"S-sir Graham are you well?" Hoping to break the awkward silence Draudillon tried to assess if he was paying attention, he seemed to have zoned out only minutes ago as evidence from his outburst, so perhaps he was absent minded.

"Thank you, but I don't want that award."

Draudillon's eyes widened in surprise and shock. No one had ever rejected a national award in all her reign especially one given in times of crisis.

Graham's face remained stoic, but a small frown formed on his face that while not severe still spoke of something deep.

"I did help Agosvale, twice even, but I didn't do this because of you or your kingdom. I didn't come here to be given an award or to be praised because of what I did, I did what I did because I didn't want to see people suffer, and I still mean to keep doing that." Graham announced while staring defiantly into the Queen's eyes.

Draudillon herself was taken aback at Graham's statement. She certainly did not expect this, neither did she expect him to be so outspoken after his initial impression. This was…interesting.

"With respect, staying here is only going to place more lives at risk, in Agosvale and every other populated part of your kingdom. If another army comes walking by and Agosvale just happens to be in their way, it'll be a slaughter. The city isn't done with its repairs and there aren't enough soldiers to fill in the gaps left behind after the first attack." Graham clenched his fists, frustration evident in his voice. But he never raised his volume in the slightest.

Graham glanced down to Tagar, who now looked whiter than a sheet with perspiration dripping down his forehead.

"I came here because Commander Welheart asked me to, because it would cause more trouble for Agosvale if I refused an invitation by their Queen. I thought we were going to talk about how to protect the people here, but if all I'm here for is to get awarded you could have just sent a letter about it." Graham announced.

Draudillon was speechless. Had it been so long since someone chastised her that she had forgotten what it felt like to be criticized?

It wasn't the smartest thing she could see someone doing, but it was noteworthy if nothing else.

Graham stood with hands to his side, face solid and eyes focused. He wasn't mad at the Queen or at the situation, but he knew that the longer he was away from Agosvale then the likelier it was that it was undefended. Not to mention all the other cities, towns, and villages that needed help.

He needed to act, not get dressed up for a ballroom dance.

Draudillon closed her mouth, taking on a pensive look as she observed the situation.

Her nobles and advisors were livid. Most of them looked ready to jump on Graham and strangle him with their bare hands. A part of her was happy to see this as a display of loyalty and unity to herself and the kingdom. Another part reminded her that this was only because of her child form, which promptly brought down her mood.

Her Prime Minister was stoned faced as ever, but his eyes were just a hair wider and his posture was ever so slightly straighter. He was observing the situation to see where this minor conflict would go and what would become of it. Opportunity would present itself, but until then he would defer to his Queen and merely observe.

Captain Tagar looked ready to die. Or he was going to be sick. Possibly both.

Draudillon couldn't blame the poor man, being stuck in such an untenable position between country and comrade.

Staring back at Graham, Draudillon could see the conviction carrying over from his voice in his stance. He was brave for speaking out to a Queen in her own castle, she'd give him that.

Maybe not smart, but she wouldn't fault his honesty and determination.

But there was also something else about his attitude towards her. Something subtle yet unmistakably different from those in her court.

He wasn't trying to appease her or get in her good graces. He wasn't interested in her child form like many of her noble peers.

He was more concerned with the people than herself.

Very interesting.

"You wish to help our people even when you are not one of them?" Breaking the silent stalemate, Draudillon addressed Graham directly in a more mature tone. "For what reason would you have to defend a people that you have only recently met?"

All attention drawn yet again to the white-haired man, her nobles, Prime Minister, and even her guards alike looked to the only man standing in the room.

Looking to the side briefly, consternation on his face, Graham responded back with a smile and carefree shrug.

"I don't have a great answer. I think the best I can give is that I just hate seeing people suffer, not much to it." Graham admitted with free reign. He knew it was a simple and childish answer, but he was honest in his desire.

Not much else to say about it.

Draudillon's mouth slightly agape, she was a bit flustered at his response.

Was he so simple minded about his intents? Did he have any ill-intent for her people or kingdom? Was he genuine in his altruistic ways?

Perhaps…

"Insolence!"

"You dare to reject our beloved Queen's blessings, and then talk of peace!? Hypocrite!"

"Would it not be for our Queen's tolerance you would be marched down to the dungeons post-haste!"

Of course, her peers just had to ruin the moment.

They had been patient despite her misgivings to some of them, but it seemed that Grahams declaration was the straw that broke the camels back. Not much surprise given that they looked ready to execute him moments ago.

She needed to defuse the situation before it got out of hand.

"Perhaps we should adjourn for the time being to allow cooler heads to prevail," In an uncharacteristically adult voice, Draudillon halted any further insults her nobles would have hurled at Graham. "I believe it best that we resume at a later date to discuss recent events."

The nobles present all cowed at their Queen's indirect displeasure, noticing how despite the polite and kindly smile on her face, her eyes told an entirely different story. Her eyes were far less forgiving than the rest of her visage, being shadowed over and looking like a disapproving mother to their rambunctious children.

No one present had the gall to stand against the Dragon Queen.

"Sir Graham, if you would find it within yourself, would you be willing to meet tomorrow to discuss more of the situation with myself? In private and away from prying eyes." Her tone was more a recommendation than a question.

Still standing and looking at her, Graham's face broke its stoic exterior and revealed a looser disposition. A look of comfort and even trust.

"Sure, that'd be cool."

Smiling, genuinely for once, Draudillon motioned to her Prime Minister to dismiss the court for the day.

Things were becoming more interesting despite the peril her country was in, and she had a responsibility to see it through to the end.

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Somewhere far yet close, something stirs.

"Is something the matter, Lord Momonga?"

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Drama! Politics! Embarrassment! Cliffhangers!

Everything that indicates an author is evil to their reader, oh the sweet taste of bitter irony!

…

Ok, yeah so.

Sorry for taking so long with the latest chapter, and apologies for the cliffhanger.

Real life stuff, trouble with handling new characters, decisions and sacrifices, blah blah blah.

You get the gist.

Also, yay. Bone daddy confirmed…

Well, not much has changed in terms of character sheets, but I did want to do a little list of spells since it just seemed kind of important so here it is.

**[Guiding Orb of Light]-** A simple Tier 2 spell that generates an orb of light for around thirty minutes, helps to see in the dark and to illuminate traps and spells.

**[Pillar of Protecting Light]- **A Tier 9 spell that casts a powerful protection spell that protects against magic and physical attacks. The spell also removes any non-physical ailments that are below Tier 10.

**[Vlad's Red Impalement]-** A Tier 6 spell that has an AOE effect. The red rock formations stab their opponents and drain them of their health and magic, inflicting a bleeding debuff and stunning them for a small amount of time.

**[Allied Recall]- **A Tier 7 spell that allows the user to teleport any allies out of enemy territory and into a location of their choice. Has no discernable limit to the amount of people it can teleport but does have a range limit of around 700 meters.

**[Soul Extraction]-** A Tier 10 spell that instantly drains an opponent of their life force. The AOE is wide, at around 100 meters, but is only effective against weaker opponents (i.e. anyone lower than level 80). The drained life force is converted into experience points depending on the level of the opponents and the number of opponents.

**[****Mictlantecuhtli's Feasting Ground]- **A Tier 10 spell that summons the gates of hell. The area of the spell and number of Apparitions that appear will depend on the number and level of the enemy but has a maximum to where all summons will be no higher than level 60. The Apparitions have the unique ability to drain life even if their weapons do not hit their target, they only need to touch their weapons and armor to inflict damage and steal their souls.

**[Liberate Mind]-** A Tier 7 spell that allows the user to gleam information about their target. Deals some damage to the enemy and curses them, but for higher level players this only results in a temporary loss in speed. For lower level beings, it will result in petrification.

**[Flame Wave]-** A Tier 7 spell that casts fire upon the enemy. Basically, a widened version of a fireball with increased power and AOE with a golden color scheme.

For every new, non-cannon spell I'll try to do a sheet at the end of a chapter to better show the intended and unintended effects of the spell, and to give everyone an idea of what they are.

Later.


	5. Chapter 5

"I can't believe you almost got us both arrested."

"In my defense I did get a private audience with the Queen."

"That doesn't excuse the issue at all!"

Graham sighed while sinking deeper into the cushiony embrace of his bed. With Tagar tearing into him for being so blunt and open to the Queen it was getting to be impossible to relax.

"We're both lucky the Queen didn't order us stripped of our clothing and flogged down the halls or court-martialed to the public." Tagar paced around the room, face in his hands as he processed the events earlier in the day.

How was it possible for someone to go from nervous wreck to so… outspoken? It was bizarre, completely contrary to what he imagined would happen.

But this was Graham. The expected seemed to go out the window when and wherever he was involved.

For good or worse.

"But I'm not in the army." Tagar gave Graham the most deadpan stare he could afford.

Graham had the honesty to look chastised at Tagars glowering.

"I just mean that we aren't getting a court-martial, we survived the whole day here, and the Queen wants a personal audience with me. That's a pretty big win in my books." Graham pointed out.

Tagar sighed while placing his rear into a nearby seat next to a window outlooking the city's sunset.

Everything was going so fast but it all seemed to be happening in the strangest way's possible.

"Yes well, it could have gone smoother. For various reasons," Tagar leaned back into his chair to stretch his back and neck. He was getting cramps from all the stress placed onto him in the past days. "I'm still amazed that the Queen didn't order you detained. That she wants an audience with _you_, after that incident, and after rejecting her favor, is a damn miracle."

Graham shrugged but did not dissuade Tagar of his assessment. Even he was having a difficult time reading the Queen.

Though, there was at least one thing that was still eating at him.

"Did you see her eyes when she was talking?" Graham asked.

"When? While I was sweating rivers after you yelled at her, or when I was having a panic attack at denying her favor?" Tagar dug at Graham, a smirk just barely forming on his face.

"…either one, but it was when she was talking to everybody." No smile on his face and his eyes focused on the ceiling, Tagar hadn't seen Graham like this before.

He was serious. Not that he couldn't be, he'd seen him when he saved him from the Beastmen, he'd seen him after he came back saving Agosvale on both occasions. He'd been silent for a time before opening himself up to himself and Commander Welheart.

Graham didn't seem to enjoy killing.

"When she was talking, and interacting with us, especially during the beginning of the conversation, she just seemed so empty." Graham waved his hands into the air. "It was like…like she was there but as another person. Or like she was moving without thinking, like it was a habit or something, you know?"

Tagar furrowed his eyes in confusion.

"When I kept looking at her it…it agitated me. I wasn't angry or upset…I think. Whatever it was, I just couldn't stand it, almost like it was a play or joke and that I wasn't talking to a person just a…doll." Turning his head in Tagar's direction, Graham saw the confusion written on his friend's face.

"…"

"…"

"Maybe I'm looking too deep into it, right?"

"You might be. But hey, maybe not. Cause if you aren't maybe that's why the Queen wants a private meeting with you." Trying to look at the positive side of it was difficult, but Graham was making some interesting claims.

Tagar wasn't totally sold on the idea yet but there was something to Graham's observations and the Queen's interest in him.

Graham smirked, his persona of a wise old man slowly fading as his boyish personality took over.

"Maybe she has a crush on me eh, wouldn't that be awkward?"

"I think you're crazy."

"You're not wrong."

With a good helping of chuckles and making remarks about each other, the duo finally found a semblance of peace.

With little else to do for the remainder of the day the odd pair of friends took to resting in their newly acquired beds.

Tagar took to it almost instantly, tired from the days of traveling, fighting, and the recent debacle with his Queen. His body exhausted, his mind momentarily free from worry, and his heart ever so slightly lightened by the presence of his newest comrade, Tagar drifted off to a night of restful slumber.

Graham did not find himself having such feelings.

He felt nothing of exhaustion, his mind unburdened by the worries of his friend, and his heart as light as a feather. It felt good yet wrong that he should be so upbeat after the recent events.

_Screw it, I haven't slept since I got here. Don't want to jinx it and run out of steam when I'll really need it._ Almost having to force himself, Graham shut his eyes and collapsed into his mind. Hoping that he would have a restful sleep, he prayed that he would have dreams of home, of his future, and of his family.

How right and wrong he was.

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_Nice to meet you people of the Slane Theocracy, my name is…_

**Please**

_As an act of mercy, I'll make sure your death is painless…_

_This wasn't what I wanted…_

_He who is worthy…_

_I promise to protect you…_

_Spread my name across this world…_

_You don't have to do this, I know you don't want to…_

_You dare…_

**Help them**

_By the Gods…_

_You're a monster…_

_Kill all of them…_

_For Nazarick…_

_Please, we don't need to be enemies…_

_You misunderstand…_

**They cannot survive**

_It was an accident…_

_I won't let you do this…_

_We could have, in another life…_

_No one dies today…_

_Insects…_

_I'm tired of that thinking…_

**Those from beyond**

_I love you…_

_Our children will become legend…_

_Nothing special, just a normal woman…_

_This isn't our world, we should respect that…_

_I will not be outdone…_

_You killed him…_

**You are different**

_Why…_

_I knew he was worthy…_

_They can save themselves, without me…_

_You…what are you… _

_We have a responsibility… _

**Help us all**

_Yggdrasil lives… _

_It's…it's beautiful…_

_You can't predict everything…_

_You're not a bad person, but that doesn't erase…_

_World Champion… no, greater… _

_I am…_

**Bringer of Worlds**

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"It's a relief that you chose to come to this private meeting. I was worried that you might be against it even after your confirmation."

"Well you know, sounded like a good way to have an actual talk without too much of an audience. Especially one that doesn't like me that much."

Draudillon lips upturned slightly at Graham's referencing of her own noble party's discontent against him.

She wouldn't be entirely truthful if she said it wasn't a little amusing to her.

Sitting across from Graham in her own cushiony chair at a small table set with tea and small snacks, Draudillon could finally have her private chat with the mystery that was Graham.

Smiling at what questions she could ask away from her own court, and without the obfuscating gaze of her Prime Minister, she was as comfortable as she could have been. In a similar vein, Graham himself looked to be as far away from high strung as he could have been. Not one bit the nervous wreck from the previous day.

"I do apologize for their behavior. They mean well, but I do find that their patriotism can be troublesome at times. Especially with those outside our kingdom."

"Seems fair for a kingdom founded by a Dragon. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't start spouting fire or sprout wings." Graham smirked.

Draudillon snickered, envisioning such a scenario.

"I assure you, only I and my family possess even the smallest traces of Dragon's blood." Draudillon spoke.

"So, you are literally the descendent of a Dragon, as in…" Graham waved his hands together in a crude gesture.

Draudillon's smile widened, almost laughing at the blunt nature of his question. He was a silly one, that much was certain.

"Yes, my Human ancestor did breed with a Dragon. The Brightness Dragon Lord to be precise."

"Ouch." Despite wincing, Graham had a mischievous smile on his face.

"So I'm told." Draudillon answered back with a humorous grin of her own.

Laughing at their collective childish actions, Draudillon felt lighter than she had in recent times. Talking with someone, laughing at crude, childish things, and having a cup of tea (though she wouldn't say no to a glass or two of wine) was the most casual and Human thing she could have done.

Gods had it been too long between the Beastmen and her own nobles that she could feel something aside from embarrassment, shame, and disgust.

"But onto more serious matters. Graham, if I may call you that," Taking his nodding as a yes Draudillon continued. "I would like to understand what happened in Agosvale that would have one of my own soldiers writing a missive to his Queen about an impending doom, only to write again about such a considerable force simply vanishing in the same day."

His body tensed up, standing straighter and rigid while looking staring directly into Draudillon's eyes. She could see that the golden lines had started to form circles around his pupils, rotating at an increasing rate as they spun in motion.

"I helped defend Agosvale. Is that enough?"

"For some, certainly for those who were in Agosvale, and for many of the commoners and nobles. But for me, not so much." Draudillon frowned at his attempt to redirect the conversation.

"I have a feeling you know something about it already." Graham sighed.

"Really? How could you tell?" Draudillon almost sounded sarcastic but did want to hear his reasoning.

"Inviting me for a private conversation. Compromising your position as Queen in front of your nobles. Not having your Prime Minister present. The fact you used a Queen's request to get Commander Welheart to send me here." Graham listed off.

Draudillon said nothing in response but couldn't find herself disagreeing with his assessment. She had gone through quite a few hoops to get him to Lumin, and to have their meeting.

"I may be blunt, maybe a bit dense, but I'm not a total idiot. It just took me a while to get my footing."

"I apologize for having insinuated such. I hadn't meant- "

"I know," Graham interrupted. "Honestly I'm more talking to myself now. I must sound crazy or something. Sorry for interrupting by the way."

Taken aback, and surprised for the second time since meeting him, Draudillon settled back into herself.

"No harm done. But perhaps we could cover recent events now that we have established ourselves?" Draudillon sipped her tea.

"Alright. But how much did Welheart tell you in his letter?" Graham took a bite from one of the snacks available, some cracker topped with small tomatoes and goat cheese.

"Enough to know you're quite powerful. He mentioned that you personally killed a Beast Lord, one of the strongest in the Beastman Nation, in single combat without weapons or magic. He also mentioned that you used magic in one of his first reports."

Graham cringed as she explained to him the contents of Welheart's messages. She wasn't entirely certain as to why, perhaps because he was uncomfortable of her knowing what he was capable of or because Welheart had been the one to tell her.

"We can both clearly see as to why I am interested in meeting you, Sir Graham." Draudillon balanced her tea cup between her fingers, letting the contents swirl around as she looked to Graham.

"Yeah, guess you would be." Graham muttered under his breath.

"So as an olive branch, if the metaphor suits it, I would only ask that you provide your own input into the matter. As it is both a curiosity to myself and a concern to the nation, I find myself needing to know who it is that would come to the aid of one of my cities so readily, without reward or acknowledgment." Taking a deep look into the golden rimmed eyes of Graham, Draudillon's child form did little to match the maturity in her voice.

"…and?" Raising a brow at her, Graham took on a skeptic tone.

Sighing in acknowledgment, or exasperation, Draudillon addressed the Dragon in the room.

"I would ask of your help in saving my people. Whatever you would require, I would be more than willing to provide it to you. Land, titles, money, a royal pardon for a foreign land. Whatever within my power I possess, I am willing to part with." Draudillon placed a hand on her chest, trying to show her earnest intent. "So long as my people and kingdom are safe, I will give all I have."

"You don't need to go that far," Though not as surprised at a third time, Draudillon's breath was taken away at Graham's words. "I'm going to do whatever I can to help your people, and I will stop this war in its tracks. That I promise."

Smiling at his proclamation and seeing the steel resolve in his eyes and voice, Draudillon couldn't help but feel a tad bit victorious at gaining an ally so easily.

"But if I'm going to be doing this, I need something from you that guarantees your trust."

And that brought the mood down. Draudillon knew a free deal wouldn't have just walked up to her without a cost.

Like everything else in her life, it was complicated and messy.

"As I said Sir Graham, anything within my power I am willing to grant." She couldn't say it with as much conviction, but she still meant it.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Anything."

"Then show me your true form."

Draudillon shot up in her seat, her tea cup dropping and shattering on the previously pristine floor as it fell from her grip.

How had he known?! Did he see through her disguise so easily? She knew he could use magic, but that he could see through Wild Magic and determine that she was using it to disguise herself?

No one could have predicted that.

Looking back to the young man, she could see that her little stunt had stunned him as well, enough that he was at the edge of his seat with his hands raised as if to defend himself.

"Y…you knew?" She sputtered out.

"Well, given the aura surrounding you and how odd you…smelled, it made sense that you were using a spell similar to **[Polymorph]**." Graham casually elaborated.

"…I smell odd to you?" Draudillon, sounding almost insulted, raised her eyebrow in Graham's direction.

"I mean, not bad. Just…different." Graham scratched the back of his head, nervously glancing away from Draudillon's stare.

…

…

"Snrk."

Graham's head whipped back to gape at Draudillon.

Draudillon couldn't hold herself back as she broke into an almost hysterical bought of laughter.

All the stress from ruling as a Queen, the worry and fear from the invasions, her self-depreciating acts in the court, all of it vanishing for just a single moment as she enjoyed the look of befuddlement and confusion on Graham's face.

Graham himself could only gape like a fish as the Queen laughed to her content.

Slowly but surely, Draudillon calmed herself down and spoke to Graham.

"Forgive my outburst," Cheeks red from amusement and a shortness of breath, Draudillon took several short breaths to calm herself. "But it has been too long since I have had a casual conversation with another person. Truly, this has been more enlightening than I had first thought."

"Oh. Uh…ok?" Graham still seemed dazed at the radical shift in tone in the conversation.

Draudillon smiled all the same.

"But if your trust can only be gained by showing my true self, I will not deny you that request. Would showing you here and now be sufficient." Draudillon asked.

"Yeah, sure." Graham slowly processed, still out of it.

Standing up from her seat, hands clasped in front of her gown, Draudillon felt something stir in her from the direction of the conversation.

Nervousness? Of course.

Excitement? Maybe.

Anticipation? Absolutely.

"Well then, please be prepared. I do hope it does not come as such a shock to you. I assume it would to many who do not know of my secret."

Graham nodded in understanding. In fact, was that sympathy she could see in his eyes?

Curious…

"I understand. I mean, being part Dragon would probably make it to where people see your real form as- "A shine overtook Graham's vision, breaking his concentration.

As the glare began to ebb away, and Graham regained vision of Draudillon, his words failed him.

As always.

"…intemidaaaaaa…" Graham felt his voice catch in his throat.

In Graham's defense, he thought Draudillon would look like a real half-Dragon. A Dragonoid like creature or a Human with Dragon aspects like scales or claws. It made complete sense in his mind that she would hide in the guise of a child to be less intimidating to her subjects.

He did not expect an extremely beautiful women, who looked nothing like a Dragon or any species like them, to appear before him.

"Sir Graham is everything alright?" Draudillon's eyes curved in concern at the wide eyes of her guest, looking as if he was struggling to breathe.

"No! I mean yes? I'm…I'm ok." Graham tumbled over his own tongue to form the words.

Draudillon's mouth curved upwards in a gorgeous smile.

"It is quite a shock isn't it? Seeing someone so young become so old." Draudillon elegantly placed herself back on her chair, swiping several strands of hair to the side of her head.

"W-well I mean, yeah. That's some pretty potent stuff you got there." Graham pointed out.

"Indeed." Draudillon selected one of several spare cups before filling it full of tea. "Now, I do believe this meets your requirements of trust, correct?"

Graham gulped but nodded.

"Very good." Draudillon took a quick sip at her tea, gazing with her sparkling eyes at Graham to see him red in the face. "Then perhaps we could skip the formalities and go straight to business."

"…yeah, sure."

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Something was out there. Calling for him.

Gazing into the setting sun, Graham mulled on his dreams and the odd message that came with it.

A cry for help? Some vague warning of an impending doom? The future, or just a possible outcome?

He wasn't sure.

And who was it that begged for his help, who gave him those visions? It had to be someone or something powerful, even by Yggdrasil standards. It would have gotten past his magic defenses, physical nullifications, and even his mental fortifications if it was able to penetrate his own mind.

It also looked as if whatever it was knew he was from Yggdrasil. It never said his name or what jobs or skills he had, but it said that he was different from "Those From Beyond".

It had to be Yggdrasil. And if he was different but still connected to those beyond, it had to have been either players from Yggdrasil, or other NPC's and Monsters.

But there were also words he didn't recognize.

Slane Theocracy. Sounded like a place or country. It wasn't from Yggdrasil, he'd have known for sure if it was.

The only thing that sounded remotely familiar was the word Nazarick.

_Why them though?_ Graham thought while rubbed his brow.

Everything was already complex by being in an unfamiliar world with no direction of where to go. After Draudillon had laid the ground work for what needed to be done, it only branched off into more ifs and buts.

Of course, he was right smack dab in the middle of it.

Now he had to worry about things from Yggdrasil coming into this world too.

_How many more players from Yggdrasil are out there, and I just don't know it? If they are out there._

He'd have to think about it another time. For now, however…

"King me."

"Damnit man come on!"

Smiling victoriously, Tagar took yet another of Grahams pieces from the discarded pile to add to his growing collection of checkers. Half of his side of the board was full of double downed pieces, displaying his masterful maneuvering against his opponent. Barely any of his pieces had been lost in the battle, and he seemed keen on making certain that it stayed that way.

_Smug bastard_. Graham jealously brooded on his side of the board.

Unlike Tagar, Graham held only half of his original pieces and had not a single double piece on his board. His side looked ragged, without order or discipline and lacking in any kind of strategy.

Poor display of strategic thinking aside, Graham had to admit he was never good at chess or games involving groups.

_This is exactly why I went solo in Yggdrasil! I don't do co-op at all and it's a pain in my ass to work with a Gild. _

"You could move your piece over there." Tagar smirked while pointing to the board.

"Shut uuuuuuup. I know what I'm doing."

"…"

"…"

"…Want another hint?"

"No!"

Tagar laughed at the childish attitude.

"I never would have believed anyone could be this terrible at chess. Especially you out of all people."

Grahams face puckered at the insult.

"Yeah well, I'm only Human. I'm allowed to be imperfect and stuff." Graham groused, moving one of his pieces across the board. He was getting closer to the opposite end of the board, to Tagars side.

Victory would be his, even if he only had one piece, he would have it.

"Aaaand that piece goes away."

"Motherf- you can't be this good! No way! You're a Demon or something!" Graham nearly flipped the table over as he jumped to his feet.

Tagar almost barreled over from laughter.

"Me? I think you fit that description far more than I. Only Human my ass." Tagar chuckled.

Graham sat back down, grumbling up a storm.

"Well I am. It's that simple," Graham slumped down to look at his opponent's pieces. "I don't get why everyone seems to think I'm not."

"I don't think Humans can punch a Beast Lord to death. With just one punch."

"They can so do it. They just need to…have a push in the right direction."

"You honestly believe that?"

"Heck yeah. I was born the same as everyone else, I got stronger as time went on and I just learned a lot of things that got me by. Same as everyone else."

"Huh…"

"…"

"…"

"That's your last piece."

"…"

"Want to try again?"

"…Set up the stupid board."

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The eastern regions of the Dragon Kingdom were in ruins.

Across the landscape, stretching for miles as far as the eye could see, cities and villages alike were in various levels of disrepair. Most were abandoned by their former Human inhabitants and taken up by Beastmen or other wild monsters.

Cities had become horrid places of cannibalism and ritualistic debauchery. Streets were lined with the skulls and bones of men, women and children.

Few if any still alive were able to escape, and those still left behind would have wished they were dead from the sights they had witnessed.

But today was different from the others. Today the streets were ominously silent, deprived of the occasional yowl or moan of pain. Today the city was empty of Beastmen.

Striding across the planes was a massive host of Beastmen and monsters. An enormous army stretching from the grasslands to the peak of the mountains made up of riley and wild Beastmen, enormous Warbeasts with massive fangs and tusks, and other various monsters that littered the world like fleas on a dog.

All this marching west-ward to the Dragon Kingdom.

At the head of the ponderous beast strode the most imposing figure ever seen in the Beastman Nation.

The Beast King.

A body the size of a mountain, strong enough to wrestle a dozen Minotaurs, and with a keen look in his eye, it was easy to see from any onlooker why this one led the Beastmen.

"Great King, we are approaching the next city. What is to be done?" Turning his thick muscled neck, the Beast King stared down at the only Beastman who could match him in physical strength.

"Qhorvish," The King growled, his voice an earthquake cracking open a mountain. "You are impatient."

"Yes, my King," Bowing his horned head, the Beast Lord snarled with open fangs. "I am eager to exact by Blood Vengeance against those cretins who slaughter my kin."

"You will have your chance. Your brother, Qhorn, will have his failure wiped from my memory so long as his blood finishes what he started."

Bowing before his ruler, Qhavish clenched his fists in anger and embarrassment.

When he discovered his younger brother, a proper Beast Lord and one of the strongest in his family, was killed along with his own horde, Qhavish had shattered the skull of the messenger who reported the story to him.

As well as the five or six other messengers who had confirmed the story to be true.

To say it was an embarrassment would be putting it lightly. His name, the name of his family, and even the position of the Beast King were all in question if mere Humans could defeat one of the strongest Beastmen and his entire army.

Luckily, the Beast King was nothing if not proactive.

While the war with the Minotaur Nation necessitated the gathering of warriors to the north of their lands, his King had gathered all and any of his personal retinue, numbering around eighty thousand souls, not counting the mercenaries, monsters, and wild beasts they had caught on the way.

Qhorvish was grateful for the chance to correct his families honor, though he knew it came at the cost of the Beast Kings trust in himself and his family name. Doubtlessly, he would need to be vigilant for any sign of his King replacing him in the future.

But for now, he would retake the honor that his brother had lost when he allowed himself to die. The foolish clod.

"As you will, it shall be, my King." Qhorvish groveled.

Snorting in satisfaction, the Beast King and his retinue continued their march.

Well, not for much longer.

"Great King! Great King!" Screaming their lungs out, a smaller group of Beastmen came into the view of their King from their north.

Snarling while raising a fist, the Beast King brought his entire army to a halt.

"Why do you scream my name like whimpering children? Speak." Growled the Beast King.

Bowing low before their master, the lesser Beastmen practically kissed the dirt in fealty to their leader. And in fear for his ire.

"Ahead! All our scouts and vanguards have been killed great-mphf!"

A giant hand engulfed the lesser Beastman, smothering his face and obscuring his vision. The others Beastmen beside him trembled at the sight.

"Who dares impede me? Tell me now or die." Releasing his grip the Beast King allowed his weaker subject to breathe unimpeded.

"H-humans. Many of them. They have weapons and creatures never seen before. Some of them are the size of Giants, others wield powers we could not describe." Sweating under his coat, the Beastman shook at his King's gaze.

Turning his red gaze from the scout, the Beast King rested his eyes upon Qhorvish.

"Attend to this mess. Kill them all and return to me. This delay is unacceptable, see that it does not further interrupt me."

Bowing low before his King Qhorvish said nothing more before moving out.

Taking a cadre of several hundred warriors the second strongest of the Beastmen set out to deal with the Human insects.

Waiting patently for his subordinate to return the Beast King gazed across the grass lands he and his army had trampled through. Soon enough all the territory surrounding him would become part of his domain, and it would further solidify his capabilities amongst the Beast Lords while cementing his legacy as Beast King for centuries to come.

High hopes for someone about to get pummeled into the next life.

Hearing galloping, the Beast King assumed that Qhorvish must have finished his task. Rather quick for Qhorvish to finish toying with prey. Perhaps he had-

"Run! Run for your lives!"

"Monster! All of them are monsters!"

Running past the King were Qhorvish's warriors. All of them stricken with fear on their faces, their mouths running with drool and foam they were so afraid. They paid no mind to their King or the army in their way as they fled in various directions around the larger group of Beastmen.

Muscles bulging in rage, his eyes burning a hateful red, the Beast King ignored the cowards running from him in favor of who or whatever had caused this slight against his honor.

Roaring for his army to march forward, the massive host of almost one hundred thousand Beastmen rushed forth to face their unknown enemy.

Rushing past the grassland and through the forests ahead of them, they soon came face to face with their faceless adversaries.

Even the Beast King paused in disbelief at the sight before him.

Colossal Golem's made from stone that stood taller than Giant. Walking Trees that looked to be as strong as War Trolls. Clay men that stood at attention with no discernable expression.

Then Humans. Many Humans with weapons and armor that looked to be magical in nature, if the subtle glow and aura surrounding them wasn't obvious.

There were more than he expected with about half his own numbers present.

How had the Humans gathered a force this large so quickly under his own snout? His scouts and vanguard should have detected movement from the frontlines if they had moved from their position.

His forces stopped in their tracks, the Beast King could sense the nervousness pervading his forces as the Human army organized itself into ranks. Something so unexpected as half their own numbers, creatures and constructs that appeared so strong, all of it threw off the promised victory the King had delivered to his subjects.

Then there were all the corpses of Beastmen on the ground. The scouting group, the vanguard, even Qhorvish and his retinue.

All of them dead and left piled on the earth. But not one of the enemy's troops had a corpse on the ground.

Grinding his teeth in infuriating rage, the King roared triumphantly for his kin to attack.

With the benefit of hindsight, he might have avoided getting his people killed.

The battle lasted for around half an hour. Every Beastman that had gathered to their King laid strewn out on the ground in a bloody rictus of horror. Not one had retreated, credence to them for not fleeing, but none of them savored even the bitter taste of having lived another day.

Commander Welheart surveyed the slaughter with calculating eyes.

"Commander."

One of his men, also adorned in the newly gifted armor, saluted Welheart as he approached him.

"Lieutenant. Report."

"Sir. The Beastmen have been entirely quelled. Their King was killed in the conflict as well, including several Beast Lords and other high ranking Beastmen. The only things remining are some of their war beasts and unintelligent monsters, sir."

Releasing a breath he had been holding, Welheart relaxed his shoulders while staring out into the field.

Not in a million years would he have ever envisioned victory looking like this. Not in a million years would he have believed a Human army half the size of a Beastman army would defeat them so thoroughly. Not in a million would he have believed that he would survive the end of the war on his country, and still have enough men to celebrate it with. Never in a million.

Guess a million had finally come. For him and for every man, woman and child in the Dragon Kingdom.

"That boy," Welheart whispered under his breathe. "He out did us all. Damn good show kid. Damn good."

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"I'm still reeling from it all. After what seems like years of torment and loss, all the sacrifices and defeats, in just two days everything is changed."

Sitting in her room, slowly combing through her hair, Queen Draudillon Oriculus reflected upon events most recent.

"It is rather…mythical to say the least, though I must remind you that it did not come about from something so mythical as the Gods or Dragons."

The Prime Minister, face as expressionless as ever and speech as blunt as ever, reminded his Queen about their secret benefactor in ending the war.

Sighing about his attitude, though understanding why he would be so remiss to celebrate just yet, Draudillon placed her brush down while turning to her old ally.

"Yes, I know. I wouldn't be so hopped up on relief to say everything is over just yet." Taking her flowing hair into her hands Draudillon began to braid it into a pattern of her liking. "We still have to repair our infrastructure, properly reclaim our cities from the remnants of the Beastmen, not mention the international incident this could cause with the Empire or Theocracy."

While Graham had been a significant help in protecting her home, and she would never have anything but the best of wishes for him, she knew defeating the Beastmen would only result in new problems arising.

Baharuth would be problematic, but they were not the greatest worry. Their Emperor was ambitious and powerful, even for an Emperor of Baharuth he was more intelligent than what most would assume. Not to mention the following amassed since Jircniv's time as the Bloody Emperor.

Baharuth had always been an expansionist nation, one Draudillon had feared would eventually overtake her own nation. But the threat of the Beastmen and the idea of being so close to the Slane Theocracy was a liability that she knew Jircniv would rather do without.

His hands were already full, trying to maintain power with his small court of advisors who she recently heard had grown even smaller since she had last seen him. Conquering the Re-Estize Kingdom was his primary focus, as was keeping his fellow nobles in check.

Having to mobilize most of his military to protect his own lands as well as using the remains to skirmish against Re-Estize made it almost impossible to wage a two-way war. Even if Jircniv did manage to balance the needs for a two-front war, it would come at a tremendous strain to an already thinly stretched bureaucracy that had only just recently been established.

For now, even without the Beastmen, the Dragon Kingdom was a footnote in Jircniv's books. Something to take care of at a later date, if and when the need suited him.

Or his successor.

No, Baharuth was not her biggest concern as of now.

The Slane Theocracy however was most definitely a big concern.

"They will likely request an audience with you soon. An explanation for why we are not requesting them for help, unlike previous years." The Prime Minister rubbed beneath his eyes, the dark bags underneath them having changed little over the years of sleepless nights.

Draudillon continued to braid her hair, though she made an effort to continue eye contact with her Prime Minister throughout the conversation.

"Telling them the truth won't be enough. Even if we did, what do you think they will do, hm?" Draudillon's eyes gestured across her room to the window overlooking her city.

The Prime Minister's face hardened till he truly looked to be made of stone.

"We both know they wish to maintain a strict status quo. They would likely do anything to gain information against us and what power we have." The Prime Minister answered.

"Exactly," Draudillon confirmed. "We could word it any way we want, but it would still lead to the same question of what and who. And we both know exactly who and what."

"Very."

"How long would you say we have until they come knocking at our gates?"

"…Perhaps twelve days, possibly more. They are not particularly interested in us, but they will likely hear of what has happened sooner than most. They've always had a knack for observing other nations without their knowledge."

Finishing her hair and smoothing out her dress, Draudillon rose to meet her old advisor in her true form.

"Then perhaps we can throw them off their guard. Become proactive instead of reactive in the face of this adversity."

Breaking his stoic exterior to raise a brow at his Queen's words, the Prime Minister listened closely at her intriguing words.

"We could wait for the Theocracy to send their representatives and request an audience. They wouldn't expect us to deny them that, nor would we on account of our partnership against the Beastmen." Draudillon elaborated.

Walking to her closet and pulling out a pair of white heels, Draudillon placed them down before beginning to speak again.

"However, if we were to send our own envoy to the Theocracy, under the premise that we are in an emergency that requires immediate action on our part, I doubt the Theocracy would mind having negotiations in their home territory for a change."

"Hmm. It might work. It's more direct than our usual negotiations with them, but the Theocracy is nothing if not confident in its abilities."

Draudillon smirked, her face rising in smug satisfaction.

"That's why Graham will go as our representative."

"He's not qualified." The Prime Minister immediately countered. He had no idea what qualifications the young man had but representing a kingdom not his own was something out of the question.

"Most likely. But he will go none the less. He may not even need to be the negotiator but more a…symbolic representative." Draudillon drew herself up after finishing with her heels.

Walking past the Prime Minister to the door, she made ready to meet her various noblemen to both celebrate and to discuss reparations.

"Are you planning to intimidate them?" Questioned her Prime Minister.

Draudillon smiled, her eyes crinkling upward in amusement at both the question and her response.

"No. Merely show them that we are sincere in our attempts to establish relationships. Surely someone of his…_stature_ would provide evidence to that cause, wouldn't it?"

"If you insist. Though I fear an international incident is imminent if he is involved." The Prime Minister sighed, tired of thinking about all the possible outcomes with Graham involved. It all just seemed to point to disaster in his eyes.

"I believe otherwise. But enough of such talk, I have a court to appease and celebrations to host." Draudillon smiled with a clever twinkle in her eyes.

The Prime Minister cleared his throat in an obvious attempt to gain Draudillon's attention.

Turning to look at him with a questioning gaze, the Prime Minister looked only mildly irritated at Draudillon.

"My Queen. Your form?"

"Ah yes. Almost forgot."

Sigh. Someday she would be free of that damnable act. For now, she could live with it, if only because of Graham's actions and the ensuing victory it brought to her people. For that, she was willing to suffer.

Speaking of Graham…

"Graham was informed of our meeting afterwards, no?" Draudillon asked.

"He was your highness. He responded with, and I quote, 'Yeah, sure'" The Prime Minister deadpanned. The boy had such a lack of eloquence in his speech, it was almost a wonder he wasn't a Beastman himself.

Grinning and giggling under her breath, Draudillon could absolutely see the young man saying that with the most childish look on his face. His free-spirited attitude was enviable, though he could do to have some lessons in politics and speech.

But his honesty and inner strength was something to appreciate.

If nothing else, she was grateful to have met such a man in her life time.

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"The Sunlight Scripture has been entirely eliminated."

"Impossible. Even with the Re-Estize Royal Treasures, Stronoff wouldn't have the power to defeat that many casters. Not to mention Dominion Authority was granted to Nigun before he left."

"I knew that was unnecessary. It was a waste to have given it away to be used in such a simple excursion, and now we've paid the price by having lost it."

"Perhaps. Though it bares mentioning that we know nothing about what occurred. Only that the Scripture was defeated and is now missing, presumed dead. Perhaps that says more than what was previously believed."

"Yes. Though Gazef Stronoff is a remarkable warrior, this new magic caster, Ainz Ooal Gown, is without a doubt a greater threat. Or at least something to keep an eye out for."

"Very."

"With Re-Estize in turmoil, and its annual war coming to fruition, events will transpire in our favor regardless. We need but keep our vigil against this magic caster while strengthening our defenses."

"Agreed."

"As you say."

"Hmm. Easier said than done, but still not wrong."

"It will not be simple, though doubtless it will be done."

"Fine. But the other Scriptures. What of them?"

"The Black Scripture will investigate the predictions of Thousand League Astrologer into the Catastrophe Dragon Lord but will otherwise be unavailable for the next several days."

"Yes. And we already know the Windflower Scripture is busy hunting down that traitor. The remaining Scriptures are occupied with either domestic affairs, or with the Elven Kingdom."

"Then we have few to spare and fewer who are trained for direct combat."

"Then we just wait?"

"For now. There is little else to do but wait for the accumulation of preparations and to hear back from the Black Scripture."

"What of the Dragon Kingdom? They haven't sent their request for aid from the Beastmen as they typically have. Has something changed?"

"It appears so. The Beastmen have been, from what we can understand, eliminated and routed back to their homeland."

"What?! How!? The Dragon Kingdom doesn't have the military to beat back an invasion of that scale, how did they obtain the means so quickly?"

"The Empire?"

"No. Our initial investigations have shown that powerful magic was used in defeating at least one Beastman army."

"How powerful?"

"Tenth Tier."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…this is not a coincidence. This Ainz Ooal Gown character and the unexplained victory of the Dragon Kingdom must be connected."

"Indeed. Fortunately, the Dragon Kingdom has sent a missive out to request a diplomatic meeting."

"Then we can- "

"Inthe capital of _our_ nation."

"…"

"A power move? By that half-breed Queen? Ridiculous."

"Possibly. But for now, her intentions are still up for debate. We will doubtlessly need to meet with the representatives before anything can be determined. Thousand League Astrologer will be looking into the matter as will the Clearwater Scripture."

"So, we wait regardless."

"For the moment. Opportunity reveals itself of its own accord. With that being said, I believe this meeting is adjourned. Honorable Cardinals."

"Cardinal of Fire."

"Cardinal of Water."

"Cardinal of Wind."

"Cardinal of Light."

"Cardinal of Dark."

"Cardinal of Earth. As leader of this body, I confirm the finality of this meeting. We are dismissed until next gathered. Blessed be the Six Great Gods."

"Blessed be."

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Took way too long to get this done, but I did.

It's a little shorter than I would have liked, but it does the job.

And since the first Arc of the story is concluded, I would like to give to you the proper stats of Graham.

As in, what his numbered stats are at the current time of this chapter.

**Character Sheet**

**Name:** Graham

**Race:** Human

**Position:** Allied to Dragon Kingdom

**Residence:** Currently: Lumin, Dragon Kingdom

**Titles:** Yggdrasil- [The Human that Scares Monsters, He Who Can Not Be Named, The Unsung Hero]

New World- [Stranger, True Destroyer of Beastmen, Friendly Fool, Destroyer of Chessboards,]

**Level:** 100

**Racial Levels:** N/A

**Job Levels:**

Traveler (?)

Lost One (?)

Slayer (?)

Human Armageddon (?)

Follower of Soteria (10)

Apostle of Heimdall (5)

**Alignment:** Good (+500 Karma)

**Stats**

**HP: **85

**MP: **89

**Physical Attack: **83

**Physical Defense: **80

**Agility: **87

**Magical Attack: **80

**Magical Defense: **88

**Resistance: **75

**Special: **90

What's this? Item names? Now where did these come from…

**Tome X**

**Zero's Gate**

**Masquerade**

**Armor of Ragnarök **

Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone!

Also, if the whole battle didn't make sense and if it didn't make sense how all those Dragon Kingdom soldiers were gathered in one place, just know this.

Magic.

Later.


End file.
